The full text of a speech delivered by Father Jeewantha Peiris on May 16, 2026, at the SEDEC Caritas Hall, at an event organised by the Movement for Equal Rights.

A deepening divide has emerged within Sri Lanka’s Catholic Church after more than 100 priests and religious figures from the North-East issued a forceful statement defending Rev. Fr Jeevantha Peiris and accusing sections of the Church hierarchy of echoing the Sri Lankan state’s denial of the Tamil genocide.

What the last week has also demonstrated, however, is that there is a growing distance between the language of solidarity from those who claim to be allies in this pursuit, and the courage it actually requires. On the island and around the world, there is yet to be a reckoning.

 

The leader of the Tamilaga Vazhvurimai Party (TVK), T. Velmurugan, has strongly condemned mainstream North Indian media for a deliberate attempt to misrepresent expressions of solidarity with Eelam Tamils as support for terrorism.

British Tamils gathered in Oxford this week to commemorate Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day at the World Tamil Historical Centre, honouring the tens of thousands of Tamils killed during the final stages of the armed conflict in Mullivaikkal in 2009.

The 17th annual Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day was commemorated in Auckland, New Zealand, on 18 May 2026, with hundreds of participants gathering to remember the victims of the Mullivaikkal genocide and renew calls for justice.

Accused war criminal Shavendra Silva has publicly lamented the impact of international sanctions imposed on him and his family, claiming that restrictions placed by the United States and United Kingdom have disrupted banking access, education opportunities and travel for his relatives.

A Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day commemoration was held in Drancy, France, on Saturday (May 16) to honour the tens of thousands of Tamils killed during the final stages of the armed conflict in Mullivaikkal.