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Approaching the end of their seventh consecutive year of protest, the Tamil families of the disappeared marking 2,529 days of their continuous demonstration in front of the Vavuniya Road Development Authority on Tuesday (23).
Holding steadfast to their demand for justice for their relatives who were forcibly disappeared, the families reiterated their call for the international community to intervene and conduct an independent investigation into the cases of those who were abducted. Chanting slogans and holding flags of the United States and the European Union, they sought to bring attention to their cause.
When speaking to the media, the families specifically called out Ambassador Julie Chung, the US Ambassador to Sri Lanka, and expressed deep disappointment. They went on to criticise her acceptance of the controversial Himalayan Declaration, a statement signed by the Global Tamil Forum and various Buddhist monks.
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Since February 2017, Tamil families of the disappeared have been staging protests across the North-East, seeking information about their loved ones who were forcibly disappeared, many of whom were disappeared during the final stages of the Mullivaikkal genocide in May 2009. Many of these individuals were handed over to the state's security forces. However, the Sri Lankan government has yet to initiate a thorough investigation into these disappearances.
Over the course of the protest, more than 125 parents engaged in the movement demanding justice for their forcibly disappeared children have passed away without receiving any information or closure. Regardless, the families continue their demand for justice.
