At a media briefing held at the Jaffna Press Club, representatives of associations representing families of the forcibly disappeared across the Northern and Eastern Provinces issued an appeal to voters to support Tamil nationalist parties in the upcoming local government elections.
The briefing, attended by representatives from Jaffna, Vavuniya, Mullaitivu, Mannar, and Kilinochchi districts, centred on safeguarding the political and cultural rights of Tamils through local governance. According to the families, local councils are institutions originally intended to function in the interests of the Tamil people, and it is critical that these be reclaimed and directed by representatives aligned with Tamil nationalist values.
"A section of Tamil nationalism must take responsibility for this structure," they said.
The families expressed deep concern over the re-entry of southern Sinhala-majority political parties and so-called "independent groups" into Tamil political spaces. In their view, these factions have repeatedly deceived Tamils and cannot be trusted.
More troubling, they noted, is the participation of Tamil individuals who have chosen to run as candidates for southern parties, describing such actions as not only opportunistic but a betrayal of the Tamil cause. These candidacies, they warned, only serve to weaken Tamil political agency and dignity.
Calling on voters to reject parties that have historically marginalised Tamils, the associations urged the public to strengthen those parties that are rooted in Tamil nationalism and that have, in some form, supported the welfare and aspirations of the Tamil people.
Strengthening Tamil nationalist parties is essential, they added.
The statement was signed by Yogarasa Kanagaranjini, President of the Association for the Forcibly Disappeared in the Northern and Eastern Provinces, and Sivanandan Jenitha, President of the Vavuniya District Association.
