British MPs call on Foreign Secretary to condemn monument destruction

by Abi
Jan 11, 2021

The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Tamils, a cross-party group of British parliamentarians, has condemned the destruction of the Mullivaikkal monument at Jaffna University.

The group said it had called on the British Foreign Secretary to condemn the 'vicious attack' on Tamil remembrance. The incident has already drawn comment from Canada's Foreign Minister, who said he was 'heartbroken' at the destruction.

See here for the full statement, also reproduced below.

The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Tamils is deeply concerned by the demolition of the Mullivaikal Tamil Genocide Memorial Monument at Jaffna University on Friday evening by the Sri Lankan state. 

The memorial was unveiled in 2019 to honour the thousands of Tamils who were victims to war crimes during the final stages of the Sri Lankan Civil War. 

The right to remember is an integral part of the reconciliation and justice process. Destroying the memorial monument directly undermines this process and is an attempt to erase the history and identity of Tamils in Sri Lanka. 

We stand together with the Tamils of Sri Lanka in defence of human rights and strongly condemn the destruction of the Mullivaikal memorial. 

The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Tamils has written to the British Foreign Secretary to raise our concerns and request that he joins us in condemning this vicious attack on Tamil remembrance. 

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