Despite black flags protest, Weerasekera claims Tamils are celebrating Sri Lanka’s independence

by Viruben
Feb 4, 2024

As Eelam Tamil across the North-East have gathered en-masse on Sri Lanka’s 76th Independence Day to protest the continued denial of their rights, Sri Lankan MP and hard-line nationalist Sarath Weerasekera visited Jaffna and claimed that Tamils are celebrating independence day.

Read more here: Black flags across the Tamil homeland as Sri Lanka celebrates 76th Independence Day

Weerasekera, who has previously called for the detention of Tamil representatives, claimed that Tamils were celebrating Sri Lanka’s Independence Day. He further asserted that today should also mark freedom for Tamil people given the army’s eradication of the Liberational Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the armed wing of the Tamil independence movement. 

For decades, Eelam Tamils have protested Sri Lanka’s Independence Day as a “Black Day” and have carried black flags as a reminder of the constant state oppression they are under.

Weerasekera claimed there is "a clan" trying to cause confusion amongst the Tamil people. This statement came as Sri Lankan police aggressively manhandled the leader of the Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK), Sivagnanam Shritharan, amidst a protest in Kilinochchi. 

Read more here: Sri Lankan police manhandle ITAK leader in Kilinochchi

 

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