Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay issued a message on Monday evening marking Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day, stating that the memories of Mullivaikkal must remain in the hearts of Tamils and reaffirming support for the rights of Eelam Tamils living across the seas.

Posting on X in Tamil on May 18, Vijay wrote, “Let us carry the memories of Mullivaikkal in our hearts. We shall always stand in support of the rights of our Tamil relatives living across the seas.”
 

Marking the 17th anniversary of the Tamil genocide and the 50th anniversary of the Vaddukoddai Resolution, the U.S.-based advocacy organisation PEARL has renewed calls for international accountability for war crimes and genocide against Tamils, while reaffirming the Eelam Tamil people’s right to self-determination.

Tamils in Point Pedro, Jaffna, commemorated the victims of the Mullivaikkal genocide today. 

The commemoration was organised by the Point Pedro Traders Association. 

The British High Commission in Colombo on Monday (May 18) issued a statement marking 17 years since the end of Sri Lanka’s armed conflict, stressing the need for truth, justice and accountability as families across the island continue searching for missing loved ones.

In a Facebook post shared on May 18, the British mission said,

“17 years on, we remember those who lost their lives or disappeared in Sri Lanka’s armed conflict, including families still searching for the whereabouts of their loved ones. Meaningful progress on truth, justice and accountability remains essential for lasting reconciliation.”

All photographs by Uthayarasa Shalin

Thousands of Tamils gathered at Mullivaikkal commemoration ground this morning to mark Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day. 

This year marks 17 years since Sri Lanka's genocidal offensive that left an estimated 169,796 Tamils unaccounted for and presumed dead. 

Human Rights Watch’s Asia Director Elaine Pearson called for renewed international efforts towards accountability and justice, whilst attending Mullivaikkal remembrance events in the Tamil homeland on Sunday.

The Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF) distributed kanji in Urumpirai, Jaffna, to commemorate Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day. 

The event was held in front of a statue of Ponnuthurai Sivakumaran, the first Tamil to die in the liberation struggle. 

A lamp was lit and flowers laid for the victims of the genocide perpetrated by Sri Lanka in the final months of the armed conflict.