Former NPC member, M K Sivajilingam has been summoned to court over three charges, including the commemoration of the Navaly church massacre in 1995.
Manipay police have ordered Sivajilingam to appear at Mallakam court at noon on July 8, claiming that he is trying to regroup the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and is planning a 'protest' on the anniversary of the Navaly church massacre. The police have argued that Sivajilingam would be breaching COVID-19 rules if the 'protest' goes ahead.
Annual commemoration events take place to remember the 147 Tamil civilians killed by the Sri Lankan Air Force in an attack on The Church of St Peter on July 8, 1995. This forms part of ongoing attempts by Sri Lanka to use the coronavirus pandemic as another reason to crackdown on remembrance events.
