Tamils gathered at Mullivaikkal memorial ground today to remember the tens of thousands slaughtered during the final stages of the armed conflict.
Holding photos of their loved ones, families, students, faith leaders and NPC members gathered at the grounds to light candles and lay flowers.
Nine years on many wept inconsolably calling out for the loved ones as the grief of their loss remained raw.
Opening the event at 11am, the chief minister of the Northern Province, C V Wigneswaran called on the international community to take action to provide justice for those who had been killed and for their families that continue to grieve.
"Even in this situation where we are not in a position to deliver any sort of justice to our people who have been affected; our people are protesting continuously on the streets for justice and their fundamental securities;and our land is becoming colonised by Buddhism by the many thousands of military officers deployed across the North-East - today, we gather together to remember the 9th anniversary of Mullivaikkal Genocide Day," Mr Wigneswaran told crowds who had gathered to take part in proceedings.
In what many remarked was a perfect illustration of Mr Wigneswaran's criticism of the military's overarching presence in the North-East, Sri Lankan military officers were seen to be flagging down vehicles leaving the Mullivaikkaal event, before offering the passengers drinks.
Vehicles carrying university students and youths were stopped in particular, raising fears within local civil society groups of intelligence gathering.
