Sri Lankan soldiers held yet another blood donation event in the North-East earlier this month, despite previous controversial comments by Sri Lankan leaders on ‘Sinhalese blood’ being given to Tamils.
Troops from the 3 Gajaba Regiment of the 57 Division of the Sri Lankan military donated blood at the Mankulam hospital in Kilinochchi. An official military website said the donation took place after the hospital “turned to the troops for assistance” and was “aimed at supporting gestures of reconciliation and goodwill between civilians and members of the Security Forces”.
The blood drive is the latest in a series that have taken place across the North-East, which continue despite widespread criticism from Tamil civil society groups and political representatives.
Last year, the governor of the Northern Province said that the blood of Sinhalese soldiers runs in Tamils that have received treatment at the Jaffna Teaching Hospital, echoing previous statements he had made about Tamil blood being mixed with Sinhalese.
Senior military officials, such as Major General Hathurusinghe, also said in 2014,
“Our blood is in the majority of the Tamils that live here, therefore Tamils cannot call themselves pure Tamils anymore. Our army’s Sinhalese blood is in Tamils.”
