Students and activists at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in New Delhi observed Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day on 18 May, joining Tamils across the world in remembering the tens of thousands massacred by the Sri Lankan state.

Participants lit candles in remembrance during a vigil, as attendees gathered in tribute to the victims of the Mullivaikkal genocide.

A new report by Amnesty International has found that Malayaga Tamil workers employed on private tea estates and smallholdings in Sri Lanka’s Southern Province are subjected to widespread labour abuses that may amount to forced labour under international law.

Tamil Americans in North Carolina gathered in Cary earlier this month to commemorate Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day and honour the memory of the tens of thousands of Tamils killed during the armed conflict in the Tamil homeland.

The United States Congress’ Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission (TLHRC) has renewed calls for accountability and redress for wartime abuses in Sri Lanka, marking Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day by highlighting the continuing absence of justice for Tamil victims and survivors seventeen years after the end of the armed conflict.

Tamil Americans in the Washington, D.C. area marked the 17th anniversary of the Mullivaikkal genocide on 17 May with an interfaith memorial event and planted a memorial tree dedicated to Tamil lives lost during the armed conflict.

A senior Sinhala Buddhist monk accused of raping and sexually abusing a minor girl over a period of several years has been released on bail, despite mounting scrutiny over the handling of the investigation and allegations of delays by Sri Lankan police in taking action.