Two vigils to mark Tamil Genocide Remembrance Week were again surrounded by surveillance today, including by the officer-in-charge of Jaffna police.
The police officer joined the usual throng of intelligence personnel at the vigils organised by the Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) at Gurunagar St James’s Church - the sites of a massacre by the Sri Lankan Air Force and another by the navy, and the World Tamil Conference Massacre Memorial.
After photographing each individual participating in the vigils and each journalist present, the police chief made threats of arrest “should coronavirus spread in Jaffna again” to the organisers.
Organisers of the daily vigils have faced threats and intimidation by Sri Lankan security forces, with Tamil civil society accusing the state as using the coronavirus pandemic as another reason to crack down on remembrance events leading up to Mullivaikkal Remembrance Day on May 18.
We need your support
Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.
Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view
We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.
For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.
