Photograph Tamil Guardian

People across the Northern Province protested against the rape and murder of an 18 year old Tamil school girl in Pungudutivu on Wednesday.

Sivaloganathan Vithiya, a student at Pungudutivu Maha Vidyalayam, was abducted on Wednesday. She was raped and killed, and was found in an abandoned house the next day.

Locals in Pungudutivu, a small island off the coast of Jaffna, blockaded roads with logs and burning tires, amidst angry scenes. Protests took place across the Jaffna peninsula and beyond, condemning the killing and the culture of impunity in the region. Students at Jaffna University, Kilinochchi, Mullaithivu and other towns also held protests.

Continuing the remembrance of the victims of mass atrocities at the hands of the Sri Lankan state during the armed conflict, TNA Northern Province councillors on Friday held an event in Jaffna.

Amidst heavy rainfall, councillors MK Shivajilingam, Ananthy Sasitharan, Sukirthan, Ayngaranesan and Kajatheeban, alongside members of the public, lit a commemorative flame.

Earlier this week, events were held in Mullivaikal and Point Pedro.

Mullivaikal remembrance event in Point Pedro, Jaffna (Photos: Tamil Guardian)

The commemoration of the Mullivaikal remembrance week continued today in the North-Eastern town of Point Pedro, on the Jaffna peninsula.

Several members of the NPC, alongside other Tamil officials and locals attended the event at the light house in the town on Thursday morning.

Major General Jagath Dias, who is thought to be responsible for large-scale mass atrocities against Tamils, has been appointed as the chief of staff of the Sri Lankan Army.

Mr Dias, who is also the commander of the security forces for Mullaithivu replaces Major General S. Samarasinghe, after his retirement on May 7, military spokesperson Jayanath Jayaweera said.

The major general was in command of the 57th division during the armed conflict against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. He is suspected to be directly responsible and hold command responsibility for mass atrocities committed by his troops, especially during the final phase of the war.

The Sri Lankan government is “duty-bound” to celebrate the “war victory” on May 18, the National Movement for the Protection of Liberated Land (NMPLL) said, according to the Daily Mirror.

The movement’s Bengamuwe Nalaka, a Buddhist monk, said the government had allowed the TNA to commemorate the memory of “LTTE terrorists”.

“LTTE activities have not stopped completely even today. While the LTTE is banned internationally, the government has allowed the TNA to commemorate the memory of dead LTTE terrorists. The TNA considers LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran as its hero,” he said, adding that his organisation would commemorate “war heroes” alongside some opposition parties at Independence Square in Colombo on May 18.