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.
(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.
(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.
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.”
Updated 10:30 17.05.15 A Sri Lankan court has banned the commemoration of May 18 at Mullivaikkal, the scene of the worst atrocities during the last phase of the armed conflict in 2009. Members of the Northern Provincial Council and the Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) have been informed of the ban by Mullaitivu Magistrate Court, who said no events are allowed to be held in Mullivaikkal for a further 14 days. NPC Councillor for Mullaitivu T Ravikaran said the police delivered a letter to his house at around 21:30 on Saturday, prohibiting them from holding the event. H e then contacted a senior police official, who informed him it was an order from the court, the councillor told the Tamil Guardian in the early hours of Sunday. The TNPF also received a letter from the Mullaitivu Magistrate’s Court on Saturday, banning the organisation from hosting the event in the village which saw the end of the armed conflict and the massacre of thousands, on May 18. When the TNPF inquired into the reasons behind the ban, TNPF leader Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, was told that the event risked causing a ‘breach of peace.’
Photographs Tamil Guardian Tamil youths demonstrated in Nallur on Sunday condemning the rape and murder of a school girl in the Pungudutivu region of Jaffna earlier this week and calling for the perpetrators to be severely punished.
The promotion of a senior Sri Lankan army general whose division was implicated in serious human rights abuses casts doubt on the new government's pledges to credibly investigating alleged war crimes said Human Rights Watch on Sunday. Calling the promotion of Major General Jagath Dias, who led the Army’s 57th division during the last phases of the ethnic conflict, "a slap in the face for victims," the Human Rights Watch Director, Brad Adams, said, “The government’s appointment of General Dias is further proof that Sri Lanka needs an independent justice process with a strong international component that can undertake impartial investigations and prosecutions. Six years since the end of the brutal conflict, the victims of the war still await justice.”
A majority of Tamil refugees In Tamil Nadu do not wish to return to Sri Lanka due to interrogation fears, said Sri Lanka’s minister for Resettlement, DM Swaminathan. One of the main problems was that “the refugees were scared of interrogation,” said Mr Swaminathan speaking to The Hindu . The refugees, until recently, had to undergo interrogation by three agencies in Sir Lanka Mr Swaminathan told the paper. UNHCR calls for Sri Lanka to renew ferry service to India to aid Tamil refugee resettlement (14 May 2015) 22,000 children from Sri Lankan refugees born in Indian camps (1 Apr 2015) Tamil...
Thousands of people gathered at Marina Beach in Chennai on Sunday to mark 6 years since the massacre of tens of thousands of Tamil civilians by the Sri Lankan armed forces. The event was organised by the May 17 movement, and had several political figures present including the founder of the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) party G Vaiko.
A group of Sri Lankan MPs will hold a ‘Victory Day’ event in Colombo on May 19 reports Ceylon Today . Member of Parliament, Wimal Weerawansa, the leader of the National Freedom Front (NFF) and other MP’s, alongside their respective political parties, are expected to host the victory function. NFF walked out of Modi's speech to protest against 13A (16 Mar 2015) 'Western powers may use Facebook to destabilise country' says Minister