Marking the 40 years since the Black July pogrom, Eric Walsh Canada's High Commissioner to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, tweeted that the "wounds from July 1983 have yet to heal."
Today, we remember the victims of the anti-Tamil violence that spread across Sri Lanka forty years ago. The wounds from July 1983 have yet to heal. 1/2
— Eric Walsh (@AmbEricWalsh) July 23, 2023
"Acknowledging these terrible events and commemorating the victims are vital steps towards inclusivity and sustainable prosperity in Sri Lanka. We’ll continue to support the efforts of all who are working toward these goals," Walsh added.
During the 1983 anti-Tamil pogrom, thousands of Tamils were killed by Sinhala mobs backed by the then UNP government and state forces.
Armed with electoral rolls, Sinhala mobs targeted Tamil homes and businesses, looting and ransacking property. Driven from their homes, particularly in Colombo, over 3000 Tamils were massacred, whilst thousands more were effectively deported by the state to the North-East.
Eye witness reports described mobs chasing Tamils down the street with knives and setting them alight alive. Hundreds of women were raped. Tamil political prisoners locked up in Welikada jail, deep within the island's south, were also targeted as prison guards allowed Sinhala inmates to slaughter them.
Read more on the massacre here: Remembering Black July 40 years on.
