Four years have passed since the Tamil nation suffered the zenith of genocide inflicted upon it by the Sri Lankan state, where tens of thousands of Tamils were herded into a tiny of slither of land, only to be massacred with heavy artillery, systematically raped and tortured, deliberately starved, deprived of humanitarian assistance and murdered in cold blood. The evidence - not only indicative of the appalling nature of the crimes, but the intentional and systematic way in which they were perpetrated – is increasing. Yet despite this, and the ample time that has passed, Tamils have not seen a credible, international process towards accountability and justice, or a meaningful attempt to deliver a political solution that ensures their future security. The Tamil nation is instead, more exposed now than ever before – its identity is being destroyed, its claims to nationhood are being dismantled and its homeland erased of its Tamil character.
13:35 BST S. Kajendran and V. Manivannan of the Tamil National People's Front (TNPF), were arrested this morning along with other party members, according to reports by party president Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam. Tweeting live as events unfolded, Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam reported that the group had been arrested by Mannar police for commemorating the Mullivaikkaal massacre. On demanding to know the reason for their arrest, the Mannar Superintendent of Police refused to answer before hanging up, he added. Earlier a monument for the dead at Samanakulam, Vavuniya was destroyed. The monument was...
14:17 BST Thousands of British Tamils are currently marching through London in remembrance of the tens of thousands that perished at the end of the armed conflict in 2009, and demanding an independent, international investigation into what took place. Follow @TamilGuardian for live updates. Meanwhile, reports state that members of the Tamil National People's Front (TNPF) were arrested in Mannar for organising a remembrance event.
Addressing Sri Lanka on 'Victory Day', Mahinda Rajapaksa celebrated the "great victory of our Motherland", and vowed "there will be no room for separation". "Today we have the fourth opportunity to celebrate with dignity the great victory of our Motherland. Today we also commemorate another great moment in the history of Sri Lanka when our Motherland was united. It is also great the great moment when Sri Lanka was freed from the deadly fear of terror. With great sacrifice of lives by our people, we were able to liberate the largest number of hostages in the world held by the forces of terror...
A senior official of the Sri Lankan Army has said that anyone participating in the commemoration of LTTE soldiers will be jailed . Major General Boniface Perera was responding to a question about reports in some media outlets that relatives of those that died in the last phase of the conflict were planning to organise a commemoration event in Vavuniya. “There is only one military in a country. Any citizen has the right to commemorate their loved ones but no one can commemorate terrorists who were disloyal to the government, “If persons are planning to remember LTTE members it is treason. We...
Thousands of British Tamils marched across London, convening at Waterloo Place, in remembrance of the victims of the Mullivaikkal massacre. An array of Eelam flags lined the procession, along with a variety of placards and banners demanding justice for the atrocities of May 2009. Participation spanned the generations with elderly marchers bearing large banners and young Tamils leading chants calling for an independent international investigation into the genocide. [ more ]
As Tamils all over the world gathered to mourn their dead, Sri Lanka held its annual ‘Victory Day’ parade, celebrating the defeat of the LTTE. Over 13,000 personnel from the navy, army, air force and Special Task Force took part in the parade, overseen by Mahinda Rajapkse.
Photograph Uthayan Students and staff at the University of Jaffna remembered those who were slaughtered at the final stages of the armed conflict on Friday, reports Uthayan . Lighting candles of remembrance, the students stood in solemn silence in memory of those who perished.
The British government has been urged to bar Sri Lanka from attending a Commonwealth event due to be held in Glasgow, after the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Campaigners have called upon the UK not to invite Sri Lanka to the World War I memorial event, with Mark Bevan, programme director of Amnesty International Scotland, saying, "We would urge the UK Government to consider whether it is appropriate to invite Sri Lanka to this event in light of the level of recorded human rights abuses. It's somewhat ironic that there will be a Commonwealth-related event focusing on the human cost of conflict when...
India's Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid telephoned his Sri Lankan counterpart GL Peiris on Friday and urged him not to dilute the 13th amendment, according to reports. Reportedly concerned by increasing calls to abolish the 13th amendment, sources said , "In this context, he urged the Sri Lankan Government not to take any step in the light of its own commitments relating to the 13th Amendment and their expressed intention to build upon it". Referring to the Sri Lankan security forces grabbing traditional Tamil land, the Minister reportedly said , "such a move would not be helpful". See our...