T he leader of Canada's Liberal Party, Justin Trudeau, this week remembered the thousands of Tamils killed during the anti-Tamil pogrom of 1983. “Tamil-Canadians and members of the Tamil community around the world mourn the pogroms of Black July, which began 31 years ago on July 24, 1983," he said in a statement released on Tuesday, adding, “I join in solemnly observing this important anniversary.” “Our country has welcomed those seeking asylum during this protracted crisis, and we continue to accept refugees and immigrants from Sri Lanka who come to Canada in search of safety, equality, and prosperity. We must and we will continue to work with the international community to achieve accountability and justice for those who have suffered the horrors of the Sri Lankan Civil War," he further said.
All p hotograph s Tamil Guardian Hundreds of Tamils protested against Sri Lanka's inclusion within the Commonwealth and that the country's president remained as chair, at the opening day of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow on Wednesday. Stating that Sri Lanka was a "shame on the Commonwealth", protesters carried placards condemning the ongoing killing, torture and rape of Tamils in the North-East. The protest took place as the Sri Lankan president's office confirmed that Mahinda Rajapaksa would not be attended the opening ceremony . The presidential spokesperson denied this was due to the protests.
All photographs by Amrita Chandradas Remembering the anti-Tamil pogrom of Black July in 1983, Tamils came together on Wednesday in London, opposite the British prime minister's residence at Downing Street, and called for justice for the victims of the past and ongoing genocide against the Tamil people. Candles were lit in remembrance of the over 3000 Tamils who were killed by Sinhala mobs, backed by the then UNP government and state's security forces, rampaging through the island.
Sri Lanka’s president declined an invitation by Britain to take part in a Commonwealth event to commemorate the beginning of the World War I in Glasgow on August 4, due to “deplorable security lapses” around Tamil protests and Britain’s failure to rein in “LTTE groups”, referring to British Tamil diaspora organisations. In a letter to Britain’s culture secretary Sajid Javid, External Affairs Minister GL Peiris criticised the British government for turning a blind eye to “violent protests” against Sri Lankan officials, including President Mahinda Rajapaksa, during previous visits, said The Island .
The Sri Lankan government has expressed “deep concern” at the escalating violence in Gaza and said it condemns all “deliberate attacks causing mayhem and loss of life of civilians”, in a statement read at yesterday’s special session on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, in the UN Human Rights Council. Sri Lanka welcomed the convening of the session to address the current human rights issues in the region and said it was “deeply concerned [at the] tragic loss of civilian lives, and extensive damage to property”
The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Jayalalithaa, on Wednesday urged Prime Minister Modi to ensure that visas were issued to the investigative team, appointed by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to carry out an international inquiry into mass atrocities in Sri Lanka, following reports in the Sri Lankan press that India had denied them visas. “I am surprised to see media reports which indicate that India has refused visas to the United Nations Investigation Committee which has been formed to conduct the investigation. If the media reports are true and India has actually refused visas to the United Nations committee probing the human rights violations in Sri Lanka, this would be a bitter disappointment to the people of Tamil Nadu who are determined to ensure that the Sri Lankan regime is held to account for its heinous acts against Tamils," wrote Jayalalithaa in a letter to Modi, the New Indian Express reported.
Fishermen in Tamil Nadu launched an indefinite hunger strike on Thursday, demanding the release of fishermen and boats, currently in the custody of the Sri Lankan navy, the Times of India reported. The district secretary of the Tamil Nadu Mechanised Boat Fishermen Association, B Jesuraja, told the paper they "were helpless and have to resort to strike as their boats are held by the Sri Lanka navy on every other day. While the Island nation releases fishermen after a few days of their arrests, the boats are confiscated, crippling their livelihood."
The Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa skipped the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow today, AFP reported citing the presidential office, as protests against his attendance and chairmanship of the Commonwealth are scheduled to take place. However, the president's spokesperson, Mohan Samaranayake, later denied that his non-attendance was due to protests. "No such visit was scheduled," Samaranayake told AFP.
The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Jayalalithaa, urged the Indian Prime Minister on Wednesday, to secure the release of the 43 Indian fishermen, currently detained by the Sri Lankan navy this week, together with 55 impounded fishing boats, the Times of India reported. In her latest letter to Prime Minister Modi on the continuing detention of Tamil Nadu fishermen by the Sri Lankan authorities, she described the impounding of the fishing boats as a "deliberate strategy of the Sri Lankan government to destroy the primary means of livelihood of Indian fishermen." "I request the Centre to take up this matter with the Sri Lankan government to ensure the immediate release of the impounded fishing boats and gear before they are rendered useless," Jayalalithaa wrote.
The European Union, Switzerland and Norway on Wednesday expressed concern about the recent restrictions placed on non-governmental organisations by Sri Lanka, a day after the government published a notice, banning NGOs from receiving foreign funds without prior approval from the finance ministry. The notice, published in most national newspapers , was addressed to “All government agencies, local institutions, civil society organizations, and the general public” and demanded that “due diligence be observed on the utilisation of funds received from foreign funding agencies, INGOs and any other source”. The joint statement by the Heads of Missions of the EU and the ambassadors of Switzerland and Norway, said that they “are very concerned about the recent efforts to restrict legitimate public activities of civil society and non-governmental organisations in Sri Lanka.”