May 2009 killings remembered in Mannar amid Sri Lankan court order banning planned event

Photographs Tamil Guardian The mass killing of tens of thousands of Tamils during the final stages of Sri Lanka's armed conflict was remembered today in Mannar, despite a district court order preventing the event from taking place at the town hall as was previously arranged.

List of 110 disappeared placed in Sri Lanka’s military custody released by ITJP

The International Truth and Justice Project - Sri Lanka (ITJP), on Monday, released a list of the names of 110 people that were seen surrendering to Sri Lanka’s military on May 18 2009 by eyewitnesses who have fled the country. In a statement made to coincide with May 18, the Executive Director of the ITJP Yasmin Sooka, called on the government to conduct “credible investigations into the forced disappearance of the more than a hundred people who disappeared while surrendering to the military on this day six years ago and to indict, prosecute and convince those responsible.” The statement...

International community needed to secure justice and political solution for Tamils - CV Wigneswaran

The international community must ensure justice for war crimes, provide a political settlement for Tamils and investigate claims of genocide against the Tamil people, said the Northern Provincial Council Chief Minister CV Wigneswaran in a statement read out at Monday's remembrance event in Mullivaikkal. "We are obliged to remember those who passed away during the war. It cannot be denied that the said sad incident laid the foundation for the International Community to become aware of our predicament and this delineated our future political course, "Six years have passed. Proper particulars of those who passed away during the said period are still to be ascertained. A transparent and honest mechanism to inquire into and report as to the identity of the perpetrators is still to be put into place. All this has created much heartache among the Tamil people," he said.

Uthayan holds Mullivaikkal remembrance event

(Photos: @UthayanPrint) Staff at the Uthayan newspaper held an event remembering those that lost their lives in the last phase of the conflict at their office in Jaffna.

May 18 remembrance held in Trincomalee

(All photos: Tamil Guardian) A memorial event for the Tamils that died in the last phase of the conflict was held in Trincomalee town. The event, led by the Bishop of Trincomalee, was attended by members of the Christian and Hindu clergy.

Crowds at May 18 memorial event in PTK

Locals gathered at the May 18 remembrance event in Puthtukkudiyiruppu, a town which saw some of the heaviest fighting between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan army during the closing stages of the armed conflict. The proceedings were led by the Northern Provincial Council's fisheries and transport minister P Deniswaran, who lit the sacrificial flame.

Mullivaikkal remembrance event held in Kilinochchi

A memorial event for those who lost their lives during the last phase of the armed conflict was held at Kilinochchi's Pradeshiya Sabha (PS) hall. Parliamentarian S Sritharan of the Tamil National Alliance led the proceedings. Officials from the PS and several civilians also took part in the event, which commenced with the lighting of the traditional flame.

Heavy surveillance at interfaith memorial event in Mullivaikkal

(Photos: @Mari_deSilva) Several relatives of Tamils who died in the last phase of the war gathered in Mullivaikkal for an interfaith memorial service. There was heavy surveillance by police and intelligence officers, who were filming all participants, according to activists who were tweeting from the event. Police in uniform and civil requested details of foreign media and foreign participants who were present at the service, Colombo-based human rights activist Ruki Fernando tweeted.

Father Mariyampillai Sarathjeevan remembered in Kilinochchi

(All photos: @watchdog_SL) A Catholic priest who died on May 18 2009, while leading Tamils away from the conflict zone into army-held territory was remembered, alongside others who lost their lives in the last phase of the armed conflict, at a monument dedicated to him in Kilinochchi. Father Mariyampillai Sarathjeevan, popularly known as Father Sara, is said to have died of a heart attack, although some reports indicate he was severely assaulted by Sri Lankan soldiers.

Revisiting May 2009 - Civilians walk into SL camps after thousands killed in night of shelling, surrendering LTTE leadership killed, Tamils blockade Westminster

18 May 2009 - Civilians walk into SL camps after thousands killed in night of shelling, surrendering LTTE leadership killed, Tamils blockade Westminster Photo: Tamil Guardian The Sri Lankan Army in its final onslaught killed thousands of civilians whilst the LTTE tried to negotiate a surrender mechanism throughout the night. A surrender deal was eventually agreed upon between the senior leadership of the LTTE, the Sri Lankan government, a UN official and the British embassy a report titled, ‘ 5 years on: The White Flag Incident ’ and the UN Panel of Experts report found. Amnesty International in a statement called on the Sri Lankan government to allow full international access to monitor and aid those in need and “accept the surrender of any LTTE fighter and treat humanely LTTE fighters who have laid down their arms.” Pictures of dead senior LTTE leaders shown on Sri Lankan state television indicated that the Sri Lankan government broke the agreement and violated international law by executing them after surrendering. The Sri Lankan government later that day announced that LTTE leader Vellupillai Prabhakaran had been killed during an ambush. (The commander of the Sri Lankan Army, General Fonseka, in an interview months later, stated that the Defence Secretary had instructed the army to kill all surrendering LTTE leaders, says the UN Panel of Experts report on Sri Lanka.) The Asia Pacific Director of Amnesty International, Sam Zarifi, further called for an international Commission of Inquiry to "investigate allegations of international human rights and humanitarian law by all warring parties in the course of the conflict and make recommendations on the best way to ensure full accountability.”

Pages