On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln signed Presidential Proclamation 95, later known as the “Emancipation Proclamation,” freeing 3.5 million enslaved African Americans in the Confederate States. More than a century later, on May 14, 1976, in Sri Lanka, S. J. V. Chelvanayagam led the adoption of the Vaddukoddai Resolution, a historic political declaration calling for the liberation and self-determination of 13.5 million oppressed Tamils in Sri Lanka.

At the unveiling of the ‘Tamil Community Memorial’ in Sydney, Australia, Piraikumaran Perinparasa reflected on the courage and legacy of his father, a Lieutenant Colonel in the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), paying tribute to his bravery and sacrifice.

Below is the full text of an address by Jesse Jackson in London, in 2009. He was addressing an event organised by British Tamils.

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Let me express my thanks sincerely for Father Emmanuel. Father Emmanuel is the Archbishop Tutu of the Tamil struggle. Please stand again.

Writing in the Guardian, Sonia Faleiro highlights how in countries such as Sri Lanka and Myanmar, where Theravada Buddhism is prominent, 'monks have emerged as central figures in movements that promote sectarian hatred' and incite violence. 

The piece, which was adapted from excerpts of her upcoming book The Robe and the Sword: How Buddhist Extremism Is Shaping Modern Asia, details how Buddhism is given preference in the Sri Lankan constitution, resulting in an imbalance in governance.