During a press conference, Defence Secretary, Kamal Gunaratne, stated that there is “no truth in news being circulated in social media” regarding extremist threats to Sri Lanka and applauded the work of the Sri Lanka security forces in tackling the coronavirus despite raised human rights concerns.

On this day in 1958, Sinhala mobs began to attack, rape and murder Tamils across the island, in what was to become another in a series of deadly anti-Tamil pogroms.

Estimates range from between 300 and 1,500 Tamils murdered in the days of violence which resulted in many more injured and the arson, looting and destruction of Tamil homes and businesses.

Sri  Lanka’s promotion of troops who have reportedly been involved in war crimes, as Tamils around the world marked 11 years since the Mullivaikkal massacre, is an “insult to victims and reeks of brazen impunity” said the International Truth and Justice Project Sri Lanka (ITJP).

The military announced that more than 14,000 soldiers are to receive “a record promotion bonanza” as part of the state’s “National War Heroes’ Day”, which took place as Tamils mourned the tens

Marking the 11^th anniversary of the Mullivaikkal massacre, North Carolinians for Peace, hosted an online event featuring distinguished leaders from Sri Lanka and the United States, to discuss the efforts to pursue justice against those involved in the Mullivaikkal massacre.  

Tamil-Canadian Lawyer and Scarborough-Rouge Park MP, Gary Anandasangaree, was also invited alongside other eyewitnesses during the Mullivaikkal massacre in 2009, to hold conversations about the next courses of action that need to be taken against the Sri Lankan government and a viable political solution to serve the interests of Tamil self-determination devoid of state oppression. 

Chinnakannu Kittinan, a 63-year-old farmer, is amongst those who have been hardest hit – having suffered from both the massacres at Mullivaikkal and the state’s militarised COVID-19 response. And yet, he remains resilient, working through most of his day despite his age and the scorching sun, before going home to cook and care for his family. 

The United States said that Sri Lanka “continues to be a valued partner in the Indo-Pacific,” as Ambassador Alice G. Wells, Acting Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, addressed a virtual press briefing on Wednesday.

The latest comments come despite the Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who as defence secretary oversaw a military offensive that killed tens of thousands of Tamils, being elected to president of Sri Lanka last year.

More than a dozen British Tamil student organisations and the Tamil Youth Organisation (TYO) have written to UK’s foreign secretary Dominic Raab, urging Britain to “take a principled stand” and “safeguard the victims – Tamils, from the state-sponsored genocide in Sri Lanka”.

Thanking the foreign secretary for his tweet to mark 11 years since the massacres, the organisations said “whilst 11 years have passed since the genocide, there has still been little progress made in terms of justice, and accountability for the Tamil victims in Sri Lanka”.

Sri Lanka’s embassy in the United Arab Emirates has come under criticism after posting a message on its official website with a string of Tamil language errors.

The message, which is still visible on the website here, also contains errors in English.

The Tamil meanwhile, contains multiple typos and font errors.

As Tamil Genocide Day was marked around the world this week, one initiative sought to retell testimonies from eleven years ago, when tens of thousands of Tamils were massacred by the Sri Lankan state.

‘Voice from Mullivaikkal’ recounts testimonies collected from Tamils who were just children during the atrocities.

“Like Anne Frank’s diaries charting Nazi terror, here we present musings of Tamil children during Sri Lanka’s terror unleashed on them in Mullivaikkal,” said the project.

See a selection of accounts below.

Sri Lankan sailors assaulted at least two Tamil farmers in Vadamarachchi East this week, in yet another attack on Tamil civilians.

The farmers were returning from work, when they were stopped by the sailors and attacked with metal wires at approximately 7.30pm.

A military enforced curfew started just 30 minutes later.