Sri Lankan military intelligence personnel have been accused of intimidating relatives of the forcibly disappeared travelling from the Amparai District to Batticaloa to participate in a protest march to mark Sri Lanka’s ‘Independence Day’ this week.
Selvarani, Chairperson of the Amparai District Association of Relatives of the Enforced Disappeared, said that military intelligence officers intercepted buses carrying protesters on the morning of the demonstration, creating fear and disruption among those attempting to attend the event.
Elaborating on the incident, she stated that relatives of the forcibly disappeared travelling from Thirukovil towards Batticaloa in two buses were stopped in the Akkaraipattu area by Sri Lankan military intelligence personnel. According to her account, the buses were intercepted shortly after departure, despite passengers being engaged in a peaceful journey to participate in the Black Day protest.
She further alleged that during the interception, Sri Lankan military intelligence officers, accompanied by police personnel, claimed that prohibited items were being transported on the buses. She stated that bags of cannabis were placed on both vehicles in what she described as an apparent attempt to intimidate those on board and deter them from continuing their journey.
Video from the Eastern province show a bus being stopped by several men waving Sri Lankan lion flags.
Selvarani also alleged that similar tactics were employed elsewhere, claiming that Sinhala youth and Sinhala journalists were brought in from other areas and used to carry out activities hostile to the protesters.
The incident comes amid heightened surveillance and pressure on Tamil civil society and families of the disappeared, as protest took place across the Tamil homeland. Relatives of the forcibly disappeared have repeatedly accused Sri Lankan security forces of intimidation, harassment, and obstruction whenever they attempt to mobilise or publicly express their demands for truth and justice.
The ‘Black Day’ protests, held annually on 4 February, mark Sri Lanka’s formal independence as a day of mourning for Tamils.
