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Latest news from and about the homeland

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  The lawyer representing detained Tamil rapper Sangeethsan Ganeskumar challenged allegations that his client sought to revive the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) during proceedings before the Jaffna Magistrate's Court this week, arguing that the material cited by police contains no reference to the organisation or its leadership. Sangeethsan, better known by his stage name…

May 2009 killings remembered in Mannar amid Sri Lankan court order banning planned event

Photographs Tamil Guardian

The mass killing of tens of thousands of Tamils during the final stages of Sri Lanka's armed conflict was remembered today in Mannar, despite a district court order preventing the event from taking place at the town hall as was previously arranged. 



List of 110 disappeared placed in Sri Lanka’s military custody released by ITJP

The International Truth and Justice Project - Sri Lanka (ITJP), on Monday, released a list of the names of 110 people that were seen surrendering to Sri Lanka’s military on May 18 2009 by eyewitnesses who have fled the country.

International community needed to secure justice and political solution for Tamils - CV Wigneswaran

The international community must ensure justice for war crimes, provide a political settlement for Tamils and investigate claims of genocide against the Tamil people, said the Northern Provincial Council Chief Minister CV Wigneswaran in a statement read out at Monday's remembrance event in Mullivaikkal.

"We are obliged to remember those who passed away during the war. It cannot be denied that the said sad incident laid the foundation for the International Community to become aware of our predicament and this delineated our future political course,

"Six years have passed. Proper particulars of those who passed away during the said period are still to be ascertained. A transparent and honest mechanism to inquire into and report as to the identity of the perpetrators is still to be put into place. All this has created much heartache among the Tamil people," he said.

Uthayan holds Mullivaikkal remembrance event

(Photos: @UthayanPrint)

 

Staff at the Uthayan newspaper held an event remembering those that lost their lives in the last phase of the conflict at their office in Jaffna.

May 18 remembrance held in Trincomalee

(All photos: Tamil Guardian)

A memorial event for the Tamils that died in the last phase of the conflict was held in Trincomalee town.

The event, led by the Bishop of Trincomalee, was attended by members of the Christian and Hindu clergy.

Crowds at May 18 memorial event in PTK

Locals gathered at the May 18 remembrance event in Puthtukkudiyiruppu, a town which saw some of the heaviest fighting between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan army during the closing stages of the armed conflict.

The proceedings were led by the Northern Provincial Council's fisheries and transport minister P Deniswaran, who lit the sacrificial flame.

Mullivaikkal remembrance event held in Kilinochchi

A memorial event for those who lost their lives during the last phase of the armed conflict was held at Kilinochchi's Pradeshiya Sabha (PS) hall.

Parliamentarian S Sritharan of the Tamil National Alliance led the proceedings.

Officials from the PS and several civilians also took part in the event, which commenced with the lighting of the traditional flame.

Heavy surveillance at interfaith memorial event in Mullivaikkal

(Photos: @Mari_deSilva)

Several relatives of Tamils who died in the last phase of the war gathered in Mullivaikkal for an interfaith memorial service.

There was heavy surveillance by police and intelligence officers, who were filming all participants, according to activists who were tweeting from the event.

Police in uniform and civil requested details of foreign media and foreign participants who were present at the service, Colombo-based human rights activist Ruki Fernando tweeted.

Father Mariyampillai Sarathjeevan remembered in Kilinochchi

(All photos: @watchdog_SL)

A Catholic priest who died on May 18 2009, while leading Tamils away from the conflict zone into army-held territory was remembered, alongside others who lost their lives in the last phase of the armed conflict, at a monument dedicated to him in Kilinochchi.

Father Mariyampillai Sarathjeevan, popularly known as Father Sara, is said to have died of a heart attack, although some reports indicate he was severely assaulted by Sri Lankan soldiers.

Sri Lanka bans May 18 remembrance events in Mullivaikkal

Updated 10:30 17.05.15

A Sri Lankan court has banned the commemoration of May 18 at Mullivaikkal, the scene of the worst atrocities during the last phase of the armed conflict in 2009.

Members of the Northern Provincial Council and the Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) have been informed of the ban by Mullaitivu Magistrate Court, who said no events are allowed to be held in Mullivaikkal for a further 14 days.

NPC Councillor for Mullaitivu T Ravikaran said the police delivered a letter to his house at around 21:30 on Saturday, prohibiting them from holding the event. He then contacted a senior police official, who informed him it was an order from the court, the councillor told the Tamil Guardian in the early hours of Sunday.

The TNPF also received a letter from the Mullaitivu Magistrate’s Court on Saturday, banning the organisation from hosting the event in the village which saw the end of the armed conflict and the massacre of thousands, on May 18. When the TNPF inquired into the reasons behind the ban, TNPF leader Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, was told that the event risked causing a ‘breach of peace.’