The Working Group of Young Socialists in the Social Democratic Party of Germany, (Jungsozialistinnen und Jungsozialisten in der SPD) also known as Jusos, expressed its solidarity with the hundreds of thousands of Tamil victims who were massacred during the final stage of the armed conflict between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan state in May 2009. In its social media post, Jusos highlighted the fact that over 10,000 Tamil civilians were steered into government-declared “No Fire Zones” in the coastal area of Mullivaikkal, where they were attacked and killed by repeated shelling. In its post,...
Memorials were held in Bern, Switzerland on 17 May as the Tamil nation mourns the genocide that took place in Mullivaikkal 14 years ago. Speeches in German, French, Italian and Tamil were delivered as attendees were served Mullivaikkal Kanji, to commemorate the massacres which took place during the final stages of the armed conflict.
On May 18th, Tamil political parties came together in Dhanushkodi, Tamil Nadu to commemorate the lives lost during the final stages of the war in 2009, the peak of the genocide coming with the Mullivaikkal massacres. The remembrance event drew a diverse crowd, including children, who participated in honouring those who perished. As a poignant symbol of remembrance, a photograph of Balachandran, the son of the leader of the LTTE, was released into the ocean, accompanied by the offering of flowers. This act represented the collective grief and tribute to all the lives lost. Amidst the solemn...
Marking the 14th Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day, Jaffna-based think-tank Adayaalam Centre for Policy Research (ACPR) highlighted the resilience demonstrated by Tamil victim-survivor communities despite the 'full force of the state against them'. "On this day marking fourteen years since the end of the war in Mullivaikkaal, we commemorate all those lives lost during the last phase of the war, in particular the tens of thousands of Tamils that were killed by the inhumane atrocities committed during the Sri Lankan state’s ruthless and genocidal execution of the final phase of the war." "Despite...
In a poignant display of remembrance and demand for justice, the families of the forcibly disappeared in Vavuniya district observed the final day of the Tamil Genocide Remembrance week. These families, who have been protesting for accountability for over 2000 days continuously, gathered to commemorate the lives lost during the final days of the armed conflict. The families, many of whom themselves survived the horrors of that time, silently protested against the state's repression and restrictions on selective remembrance. Despite the challenges in surveillance and intimidation, they offered...
US Congresswoman Deborah Ross (NC) and US Congressman Bill Johnson (OH) introduced a bipartisan Resolution today calling for a referendum for Eelam Tamils to be “democratically and equitably represented” as well as a “lasting peaceful political solution”. The Resolution comes as the Tamil nation marks 14 years since the massacre at Mullivaikkal where Sri Lanka’s forces killed tens of thousands of Tamils in the final weeks of the armed conflict. The Resolution points out the Sri Lankan military’s continuing occupation and oppression of the Tamil homeland. It points to the denial of freedom of...
The Tamil National Green Organisation served Mullivaikkal kanji outside its head office in Jaffna today.
Trincomalee Magistrate court reportedly issued an order prohibiting 13 people from holding an event to mark Tamil Genocide Day. The order was issued per Section 106(1) of Code of Criminal Procedure and stated that an event could not go ahead as it may harm public health or put lives at risk. This is the latest attempt by Sri Lanka to repress Tamil memorialisation in the North-East. For years, the state has cracked down on commemoration events, either through court ordered obstructions or by ramping up state surveillance to intimidate organisers and attendees. Despite ongoing harassment by the...
On 16th May 2023, novelist Sivalangam Arooran, falsely imprisoned for attempting to assassinate Gotabaya Rajapaksa in 2006, was acquitted of all charges by Colombo High Court.
Memorials were held in Mannar today as the Tamil nation mourns the genocide that took place in Mullivaikkal 14 years ago. The North-East Coordinating Committee held a vigil outside Mannar District hospital. Participants lit a flame and served Mullivaikkal kanji to remember the Tamils lives that were lost. Another commemoration event was held at Mannar bazaar this morning under the chairmanship of Tamil National Right to Life Movement leader V S Sivakaran.