Tamil Families of the Disappeared will mark October 1 as a day of sorrow and mourning across the North-East, remembering the tens of thousands of Tamils who were killed or forcibly disappeared during Sri Lanka's decades-long armed conflict.
Nirmalnathan Nirajani, a Tamil mother of the disappeared, said the day, on which Sri Lanka marks “Children’s Day” was one filled with grief for Tamils.
"In this country, October 1st is a day to commemorate children, but do people realise how many of our children we've buried or lost?" she asked. "Stories that haunt us—mothers who still don’t know the fate of their newborns—remain fresh in our minds. These memories gnaw at us. So many children disappeared, never to be seen again."
"We will mark October 1st as a day of mourning and sorrow,” she continued. “Whether or not the new government brings us justice, every home in the North-East will raise a black flag in solidarity. We still don’t know the fate of our children—whether they are dead or alive."
The families plan to protest in Nallur and are calling on Tamils across the North-East to join them in this act of remembrance and resistance. "We remember children standing in the queue waiting for a cup of porridge but were shelled and killed before our eyes," she said "We didn't even have the chance to perform their last rights or a place to bury them."
She said that its been 15 years and families had been wiped out, others had been left orphaned. "We should stand up for the children who are still with us," she said. "We are not in a position to even commemorate this day with the children around us. The day we receive our children back to our arms is the day that we will celebrate Children's day."
