The Democratic representative for Illinois, Mr Danny Davis commemorated the Mullivaikkal remembrance day in the US congress on May 18, speaking on the Sri Lankan government's failure to win the peace, seven years after the end of the armed conflict.

Rep Davis said the "ambitious promises" made by the government need to be turned into concrete action, calling on the US to assist and support the processes, while keeping conditions on the military and other aid in place until there is real reform.

"The government of Sri Lanka has made commitments on transitional justice and accountability, a political settlement of the ethnic problem, security sector reform, the return of land, the release of Tamil political prisoners, actions to end human rights violations and other ambitious reforms. Unfortunately, not enough improvement has yet been seen by the Tamils, Christians and Muslims who feel marginalized and discriminated against. Courageous leadership is needed to gain trust if reconciliation is the goal, not just promises. Now is the time for real action."

A panel in Washington DC last week discussed the possibilities and risks in achieving justice and peace in Sri Lanka.

Speakers on the panel on May 11, organised by PEARL, were Kara Bue of Armitage International, Lisa Curtis from The Heritage Foundation, Alan Keenan of the International Crisis Group and Suthaharan Nadarajah from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. The event was moderated by PEARL's Senior Analyst Gowri Koneswaran.

The president of the Justice and Peace Commission in Jaffna Diocese has demanded the Sri Lankan government determine the whereabouts of several catholic priests who surrendered to the military in the closing stages of the armed conflict, reports Herald Malaysia.

"The local church still seeks an answer in court and from the army about the whereabouts of the missing priests but no information has been forthcoming," said Father S V B  Mangalarajah.

He was speaking at a memorial to remember Father Mariampillai Sarathjeevan who died of a heart attack amidst the massacres of 2009. The ceremony, at Our Lady of Fatima's Church in Uruthirapuram, took place on May 18, alongside several other remembrance ceremonies across the Tamil North-East. Father Sarathjeevan was unable to access medical help at the time, with resources and medicines embargoed to the conflict zone by the Sri Lankan government.

"But what happened to our missing Sri Lankan priests Father Jim Brown and Father Joseph Francis who surrendered to the army? asked Father Mangalarajah. "Father Francis was among those leaving the war zone in May 2009 and passing through a military checkpoint where some people saw him but he is no more today."

The former general of the Sri Lankan army who oversaw the military during the final stages of the armed conflict, unveiled a portrait of himself yesterday at the army headquarters in Colombo on Wednesday.

Seven years after the armed conflict ended in May 2009 and the height of Tamil genocide by the Sri Lankan state, Tamils this year mark May 18th with the weight of a UN report behind them. Detailing the extent and sheer horror of the atrocities committed, including the indiscriminate shelling of civilian areas, targeting of hospitals, sexual violence, torture and the extrajudicial killing of LTTE cadres, the OHCHR Investigation on Sri Lanka report validates the visceral outcry of the Tamil nation which blockaded diasporic capitals, deploring the ensuing massacre and demanding international intervention, as well as validating the call for justice that has emanated from the diaspora and the North-East ever since. Seven years on however, meaningful change in the circumstances that led to the armed conflict, and the tangible prospect of true justice continues to elude the Tamil people.
 

Commemorations of the end of the armed conflict on May 18 2009 have begun in the North-East.

An early remembrance event was held by NPC Councillor T Ravikaran at the break of dawn, on the shores of the Nanthikadal Lagoon in the Mullaithivu District.

While Tamils commemorate the massacres of the end of the armed conflict, prominent Sri Lankan politicians from both sides of the Sinhala divide continue to laud the armed forces as “heroes.”

UNP Minister for Housing and Construction Sajith Premadasa’s posted a tweet saying "Remembering our war heroes" this morning.

Updated 05:17 GMT

Tamils gathered at the site of the final battle in Mullivaikkal this morning to commemorate those who died in the end phase of the armed conflict.