Tamils in Vavuniya held a remembrance events, on Monday, in commemoration of those that died at the end of the armed ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka.

An event organised by the Tamil National Alliance, was led by MPs Sivasakthy Ananthan and Selvam Adaikkalagathan. 

Tamils from the local community also gathered at a second remembrance event called Tamil Genocide Day, organised by the Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) was led by S Gopalakrishnan.

The Northern Provincial Councillor Ananthy Sasitharan called on the Sri Lankan government to release all those arbitrarily detained since the end of the armed ethnic conflict in 2009.

The letter, which was addressed to Sri Lanka’s President Maithripala Sirisena, and copied to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Prince Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, called on Sri Lanka’s government to:

A Mullivaikkal remembrance event was held in Trincomalee on Sunday, with several members of the public lighting candles in memory of those who lost their lives, Battinews reported.

The event, at the Chelvanayagam memorial in the town on the east coast, was attended by several local members of the TNA and the Eastern Provincial Council, including Trincomalee ITAK leader S Thandaayuthapaani, who is also the EPC's minister for education.

The victims of the final phase of the armed conflict were commemorated at a Hindu ceremony in Kalmunai in the Amparai district.

TNA councillor for the Eastern Provincial Council T Kalaiarasan led the proceedings in Kalmunai's Murugan temple, with several local Tamils also attending the event, Battinews reported.

TNA MPs P Ariyaneththiran and P Selvarajah, EPC agriculture minister K Thurairajasingam and EPC councillors K Karunakaram, G Krishnapillai, M Rajeswaran and M Nadarasa, also attended the event.

Thavarasa Premkumar, on Monday, declared a fast unto death in order to pressurise Sri Lanka’s government to hand over the appropriated lands of the displaced people of Sampur. 

Photographs: Tamil Guardian

Mr Premkumar’s demands were based on 3 requests listed below:

-Requesting the Sir Lankan government to handover the lands of the Sampur people respecting their rights and solemnity to live a dignified life in their own lands.

-Requesting the international community and the United Nations to pressurise the Sri Lanka government to take immediate measures to solve the burning issues of the Sampur community.

-Requesting the Tamil diaspora to work in lines with the affected and desperate communities in the Northern Eastern region to safeguard and sustain their rights and entitlements.

An event organised to commemorate the Mullivaikkal massacres later today in Mannar has been banned by police.

Organiser Mr Sivakaran told the Tamil Guardian a letter detailing the ban was delivered by police in the early hours of Monday.

The remembrance event was due to be held in a hall in the town of Mannar.

On Saturday Mullaitivu Magistrate Court issued a ban on events commemorating May 18 at Mullivaikkal, stopping events organised by the Northern Provincial Council and the TNPF.