The leader of the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) Mavai Senathirajah warned of continuous Tamil protests if the Sri Lankan government continued to ignore implementation of a United Nations resolution.

Speaking at Nallur temple in Jaffna, the Tamil National Alliance parliamentarian said promises made by both the Sri Lankan president and prime minister were yet to be kept.

“If the UN resolutions are ignored by the Sri Lankan government even after the report submitted by the High Commissioner of the UNHRC, then we will be in a position to decide on staging continuous protests,” he added.

"The UNHRC has tried to nudge Sri Lanka towards rebuilding civilian lives through resettlement, reducing the military presence in the north and east, and delivering accountability for past crimes through a credible judicial process with international participation. However, the update presented by High Commissioner Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein in Geneva does not present an encouraging picture. He expressed concern about the “heavy military presence” in Tamil areas, noting that the process of the military returning land to its civilian owners has been tardy. There is a lack of urgency in coming up with tangible measures to build confidence among minorities and victims of human rights violations. In turn, Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera has informed the ongoing session in Geneva that the government has instructed the military to release by 2018 all civilian land it holds. He has promised that the proposed judicial mechanism will inspire confidence among the stakeholders, but has drawn attention to the “divergent views” in the country on it, perhaps a hint of further delay."