The European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) will send 26 long-term observers to Sri Lanka by tomorrow, intending to increase observers closer to the presidential elections.

Observations will take place before, during and after elections, monitoring activities such as the opening of polling stations, the voting process, the counting of ballots, and the tabulation of results around election day.

The EU EOM has also announced it will recruit 32 short-term observers from the EU diplomatic community and other partner countries.

The EU EOM chief observer, Nacho Sanchez Amor, a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Spain, is currently in the island at present. He has stated that 80 EU team members will be part of the mission and to remain in Sri Lanka until the first week of October. The EU EOM, consisting of 10 election experts, have been in Sri Lanka since their arrival on 14th of August in Colombo.

Objectives for the mission are to support the democratic process, enhance public confidence in the electoral system, and strengthen respect for human rights and the rule of law in Sri Lanka. Amor explained that the observation mission would assess all aspects and stages of the electoral process, including the legal framework and its implementation, the performance of election administration, the role of state institutions, the voter registration process, campaign activities, and campaign finance, and the overall space for political and civic participation.

“By sending an election observation mission to Sri Lanka, the European Union is reaffirming the depth and fruitfulness of our partnership and our unwavering support for democratic values,” said Chief Observer Amor.

The EU EOM is to issue a preliminary statement two days after the Sri Lankan elections this year, as well as hold a news conference in Colombo. A final report will be shared with stakeholders, detailing a set of recommendations for the future electoral process.

Each year, the EU sends 8 to 10 electoral observation missions worldwide. There have already been 7 visits to Sri Lanka with the first being in 2000 and most recently in 2019. Each visit follows after an invitation from the Sri Lankan Electoral Commission.

The 2019 EU EOM final report on Sri Lanka, found here, details many electoral and political misgivings. The document suggests various recommendations for improvement, some included amendment to the constitution, legislative enactment and new regulations. Significantly, the report on page 49 found that international treaties were not passed into domestic law to have full legal effect in national courts. International treaties not fully passed included the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, also said to be "applied arbitrarily at times", and the United Nations Convention against Corruption.

Read more here and here 

Sri Lankan police officers of Chunnakam Police Division assaulted and tortured a Tamil man last week, in yet another cause of ongoing police brutality in the North-East.

Sri Lankan policemen broke into the man’s home in Chunnakam, Jaffna, on 28 August to arrest him without apparent cause before assaulting him with various weapons.

When the victim’s family challenged the officers, the entire family was held at gunpoint and threatened by the police officers. The full-term pregnant wife, Gopiga Navakumar, informed the media that the officers believed her niece, who had been holding a phone nearby, was recording the event and had tried to break the phone. Their defiance further angered the officers to then repeatedly assault her husband. They then blindfolded and dragged him to a three-wheeler parked outside.

When the family went to visit the police station later that night to enquire what had happened, they were informed the husband was arrested “on suspicion” and were sent away. The next morning, they went to the Jaffna District Police Commissioner to present their complaint of unjust incarceration. They were met with another threat to arrest her husband on terrorism charges. They led him to an interrogation room to beat him with a metal pipe and wires, with police officers forcing him to kneel despite vomiting from the pain.

He was assaulted by the Chunnakam Police Chief, Tamil speaking sub-inspector and others. Upon release, the family admitted the victim to Thellippalai hospital.

The local office of Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission has acknowledged the incident and visited the victim in Thellippalai hospital on Monday to obtain his testimony. The Human Rights Commission have reported that further investigations have been initiated.

The latest incident comes just weeks after the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has released a damning report detailing the sexual abuse and intimidation of Tamil activists by Sri Lanka’s security forces; continued crackdowns on memorial activities across the North-East; and failure to advance accountability for human rights abuses committed.

Namal Rajapaksa released his manifesto as he vies to become president of Sri Lanka this month, pledging to continue the legacy of his father, accused war criminal Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The younger Rajapaksa asserts that the "Mahinda Chinthana," the title of his father’s 2005 manifesto, had set a progressive plan for Sri Lanka.

"By integrating sustainable solutions for the challenges of the 21st century and the modern technological revolution with Mahinda Chinthana, let us start again from where the development of this country was stopped," he stated, promising to rescue the country from its economic crisis, much like how his father "liberated and united a country torn apart by war."

He referred to his manifesto as the "3rd Edition of Mahinda Chinthana".

Rajapaksa’s manifesto makes only two brief references to the Tamil community, dedicating a far more substantial section to the protection of Buddhism.

“Our civilisation which has a historical development of over two and a half millennia was founded upon the principles of Buddha Dharma,” it states.

“To protect and nurture the Buddha Sasana, we plan to enrich the young monks with Bauddha Philosophy and proficiency in English, French, German, Korean, and Italian languages in addition to the oriental languages as well as with Information and Communications Technology. We believe that this is the way to take the Buddha Dharma to the future world. We plan to train 5,000 monks in the first phase.”

He avoids mentioning any strategies for the North-East or acknowledging issues such as land grabs, Sinhalization, Buddhization, or the ongoing intimidation and arrests affecting the daily lives of Eelam Tamils.

“A museum and a library will be established for future generations to learn about the humanitarian war against terrorism that hindered the development of this country for 30 years,” it adds, but makes no mention on the need for justice and accountability for the atrocities committed by the Sri Lankan state.

The manifesto can be found here. 

Justice C V Wigneswaran, a Member of Parliament from the Jaffna District, expressed his support for the common Tamil candidate Pakkiyaselvam Ariyanenthiran at the upcoming presidential polls, urging Eelam Tamils across the island to seize the opportunity to assert their aspirations and undeniable rights as a united force.

"I am not advocating for an armed struggle, nor is it appropriate," he stated. "But the time has come to intensify our political struggle and assert our aspirations, or our homeland will soon be handed over to others."

Wigneswaran criticized the manifestos of Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, highlighting their ambiguity regarding commitments to the Tamil community.

"Their election manifestos clearly show the need for a common Tamil candidate, affirming that our decision is correct," he remarked.

"Both have mentioned plans to draft a new constitution, but there's no clarity on resolving the political issues or the extent of their commitment to the 13th Amendment, including police, land, administrative, and financial powers," he added, noting that their promises to the Tamils under the 13th Amendment are weak and meaningless.

He further commented on the manifestos of National People's Power leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna’s Namal Rajapaksa, which had not been released at the time. Based on their rhetoric, Wigneswaran suggested that they too had no intention of devolving any powers to the Tamil people.

Citing incidents in the North-East, Wigneswaran pointed out that 67 Buddhist temples have been erected in Mullaitivu alone. He also referenced a statement by Human Rights Watch, which noted that the government under Ranil Wickremesinghe continues the legacy of impunity and intimidation, much like his predecessor Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

"The agenda of the Sri Lankan government is to fully occupy the Tamil homeland and transform it into a Buddhist nation," he stated.

Wigneswaran recalled how Eelam Tamil youth took up arms to defend the North-East and maintain control over it, and that it was only during this period that Tamils had any real authority over their homeland. "It is through struggle and resistance that we protect our rights and sustain our existence," he affirmed.

He called on Tamils across the island to rally behind the common Tamil candidate, Pakkiyaselvam Ariyanenthiran, as a powerful statement to both local politicians and the international community that the Tamil people reject false promises and will no longer be deceived by Sinhalese politicians.

"For many years, we have been misled into supporting their candidates, but we will no longer participate in their schemes, deceptions, and oppression of our people," Wigneswaran concluded.

"Dear Tamils, I urge you to vote for the common Tamil candidate under the conch symbol and rise together as a united force."

His full statement can be found here. 

“The Tamil people fought non-violently and engaged in the armed struggle when the Sri Lankan government began its genocidal war with the intent of destroying the very existence and individuality of the Tamils,” the manifesto states. “This ongoing state of terror is aimed at the extermination and ethnic cleansing of the Tamils.”

The election manifesto for Pakkiyaselvam Ariyanenthiran, the common Tamil candidate endorsed by a coalition of Tamil political parties and civil society, was launched in Jaffna on Tuesday.

The manifesto outlines the longstanding injustices faced by the Tamil people, which began even before the armed conflict, and states that the ethnic cleansing by the Sri Lankan state has persisted, often in more covert forms.

“The Tamil people fought non-violently and engaged in the armed struggle when the Sri Lankan government began its genocidal war with the intent of destroying the very existence and individuality of the Tamils,” the manifesto states. “This ongoing state of terror is aimed at the extermination and ethnic cleansing of the Tamils.”

The document highlights numerous reported issues, including the desecration of Tamil places of worship, the Sinhalization of the East with Tamil farming lands in Mayilathamadu and Madhavanai under threat, the need for an administrative division in Kalmunai North, the exploitation of resources in Mannar through development projects, the construction of military camps on private lands in the North-East, the harassment faced by former combatants and their families, and the continued imprisonment of political prisoners. The anti-terror bill aimed at silencing Tamils is also a major concern raised.

“The Sri Lankan government is carrying out these activities while telling the international community that it is dealing with an economic crisis. The country is in debt because it refuses to find a lasting political solution to the ethnic crisis. The root cause of the economic crisis is the debt accrued from the war.”

The manifesto also points out that many other candidates have failed to address the concerns of the Tamil people in their platforms. In contrast, the manifesto of the common Tamil candidate specifically addresses the following issues:

1. A new constituion for Sri Lanka to solve the ethnic conflict, where Tamils are recognised as a sovereign people with the right to self-determination.

2. Only by recognising the Tamils as a people with nationhood can Sri Lanka be considered a plurinational state. Therefore the new constitution has to be a convergence of the nations that form Sri Lanka. In other words, the constitution has to ensure that Sri Lanka is built as a plurinational state.

3. No political solution based on centralised rule will satisfy the just political demands of the Tamil people.

4. On the above, Tamil people have the right to seek suitable international assistance to determine their own fate.

5. The land that conforms to the Tamil people's right to self determination shall be the united north and east provinces. That they are ready to discuss the just political rights of the Muslim people within this united north and east.

6. Safeguarding and promoting of the rights of Upcountry Tamils.

7. All instances of ethnic cleansing by the state are to be investigated, with cases being presented to the International Criminal Court and complying with a resolution endorsed by the UNHRC. 

8. The establishment of structures for a self reliant economy in the Tamil homelands that prevents land grabs, and the use of natural resources in a sustainable manner.

9. To achieve the above, a special protective mechanism is to be instituted that will protect the rights of Tamils, as an interim solution. 

The manifesto details that a Tamil candidate isn't prepositioned to become the president of the country but he is being brought forward to unite the Tamils and to be a common voice for the Tamil community.  

“The votes given to Ariyanenthiran honor the sacrifice that Tamils made for the homeland,” it said.

The complete manifesto can be found here. 

Ajith Doval, India's National Security Advisor to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, reportedly encouraged Tamil political parties to back a Sinhala candidate, according to a report in the Sunday Times.

Ajith Doval, India's National Security Advisor to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, reportedly encouraged Tamil political parties to back a Sinhala candidate, according to a report in the Sunday Times.

During his visit to Colombo, Doval met with Tamil parliamentarians and discussed the upcoming Sri Lankan presidential elections. According to the Sunday Times, Doval “told them they should not “waste the votes of the Tamil people” and try to negotiate with a candidate who could win and secure the aspirations of the Tamil people through talks”.

Participants in these discussions included former MP Mavai Senathirajah; MPs S Sritharan and M A Sumanthiran of the Ilankai Arasu Tamil Katchi (ITAK); Selvam Adaikalanathan, MP and leader of the Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF); Dharmalingam Siddhartan, MP and leader of the People's Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE); and Selvarajah Kajendren, MP of the Tamil National People's Front (TNPF).

His reported remarks come as Sri Lanka’s presidential polls approach and calls for Tamils to either boycott the polls or vote for Pakkiyaselvam Ariyanenthiran, a candidate who has been endorsed by a coalition of Tamil political parties and civil society organisations. The ITAK this week has been the sole Tamil political party to endorse a Sinhala candidate, calling for the backing of Sajith Premadasa.

The meeting reportedly focused on finding a political solution for the Tamil community and the implications of the current presidential election.

Selvarajah Kajendren expressed to Doval that after 75 years, it is evident that the Tamil community cannot prosper under a unitary system, stating that the 13th Amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution has been a complete failure and does not offer a viable path forward for Tamils. Kajendren rejected both the 13th Amendment and the 2015 draft constitution, which also upholds a unitary state structure, urging India to support the establishment of a federal system that provides self-determination for Tamils in the North-East. Doval advised that unity and a strategic use of the Tamil vote would be the most constructive approach.

Doval also met with Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, Chief of Staff Sagala Ratnayaka, and Maldives' National Security Advisor Ibrahim Latheef. He also engaged with various political figures, including the Leader of the Opposition and Samagi Jana Balawegaya's Sajith Premadasa, National People's Power leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

The Tamil Guardian recently sat down with Rathika Sitsabaiesan, human rights activist and former Canadian Member of Parliament, to discuss her new documentary “Ray of Hope”. Sitasbaiesan, the first ever Tamil Canadian MP, discussed resistance, intergenerational trauma, and the future of Tamil Eelam.

Tamil Guardian recently sat down with Rathika Sitsabaiesan, human rights activist and former Canadian Member of Parliament, to discuss her new documentary “Ray of Hope”. Sitasbaiesan, the first ever Tamil Canadian MP, discussed resistance, intergenerational trauma, and the future of Tamil Eelam.

Sitsabaiesan is one among hundreds of thousands of Tamils who was forced to seek refuge in Canada. Arriving in Canada at the age of 5, her experience as a survivor of genocide and a child of war would drive her to become a vocal Tamil rights activist. In 2011, she would become the first Tamil elected to the House of Commons. Sitsabaiesan served as an MP for Scarborough-Rouge River until 2015. In early May of 2024, Sitsabaiesan starred in a documentary titled “Ray of Hope”, the film which is produced and directed by Ryan Singh and Nikki Cole has so far received over 37 nominations and won 7 awards.

It aims to shed light on the 26-year armed conflict in Sri Lanka, the genocide that took place and the continued struggles of both Tamils on the island and those that have been displaced around the world. 

What initially began with the idea of capturing footage of Rathika’s 2013 trip to Sri Lanka for her YouTube channel would evolve into a project tracing the impacts of genocide that transcend generations and borders. The film reveals the complexities of piecing together one’s identity in the face of displacement, and the struggle of rebuilding a community in a place where nothing is familiar. Throughout the film we see testimonies of survivors and the children of survivors speaking courageously about the state violence they have witnessed and experienced at the hands of the Sri Lankan government. Accompanying these testimonials are scenes of bharatanatyam seamlessly woven into the film, a strong reminder that despite the pain, loss, and suffering that marks the Eelam Tamil existence, the community must first and foremost be defined by its beauty and unwavering resolve.

When asked what she hopes people will take away from the documentary. Rathika breaks down her answer into three different categories of people: non-Tamils, future generations of Tamils, and survivors. She hopes non-Tamils are able to learn about the Tamil struggle.

“A lot of non-Tamils around the world work with, live with and go to school with Tamil people but don’t necessarily know why we are here," she says. "It is important that they know that we have paradise and we were pushed out because of a genocide.” Through awareness and education she hopes to have more non Tamils become allies and support the global movement. 

For future generations of Tamils, Rathika hopes that the film can provide a little piece of their identity.

“We as a society are not very good at having conversations, my parents as much as they are activists don’t like to talk about the details of what they have survived, what they have been through. Hopefully, younger generations don’t have to live through what I have had to live through which is the shame of my identity. I had a lot of internal processing I had to do to get to the point where I was proud to say I am Tamil.” 

For survivors of the conflict and those that live with intergenerational trauma, she hopes that the documentary can be a global tool that helps with moving out of shame into celebration. “We are a people who are on the receiving end of a genocide. We have lived through and survived a genocide but we have also restarted in so many places around the world. We didn’t just restart, we are thriving.” 

Intergenerational Trauma and Healing Through Community

A key theme in the documentary is intergenerational trauma and the suffocating silence that persists in Tamil families. For many the experience of trauma is seldom discussed, those who seek asylum arrive in their host countries and distance themselves from the violence they have experienced with the hopes of protecting future generations. As a result, younger generations may feel there are gaps in their identities and have difficulties navigating intergenerational trauma. Rathika explains that processing her trauma required her to come to terms with her Tamil identity, an identity that she was not always proud of. The shame around her identity was in part due to the anti-Tamil violence she experienced at a young age, one memory she recalls is being shot at as a child in Sri Lanka. She would eventually find her strength through community, “for me it was the community who helped me heal because my parents weren’t really willing to talk”.

She speaks about numerous elders in the community taking her in as their own and being willing to have conversations with her about the Tamil genocide. It is through this process that Rathika has been able to gradually process her experiences both on the island and off of it. 

While community was instrumental for Rathika’s ability to heal, it was something that earlier generations of refugees needed to rebuild upon arrival in their new homes. Forced displacement often results in the loss of community and threatens cultural identity. Rathika explains that her family came to Canada in the late 80s prior to the larger migration of Tamils that would happen in the subsequent years.

In this context, the Tamil language played a key role in the preservation of Tamil identity. “My parents were scared that their whole cultural identity would be erased. They were very adamant about learning the language because that was the only thing they could hold onto”. At a young age, Rathinka accompanied by her father worked with the local school board trustee to create Tamil language schools in her neighborhood. These schools quickly became a community space that played a critical role in teaching her about Tamil history and culture, which she says have her “pockets of community where I could feel safe and at home”.

Despite the loss of a physical homeland, gradually Tamils around the world have been able to rebuild a cultural Eelam, “Now we have so much more opportunity to celebrate and experience our culture, it is a hugely thriving culture because so many people held on so tight”. Rathika, however, adds that the struggle continues, “Tamil eelam is real and it exists, it is just not recognized yet, it is up to us to do the work to get global recognition”. 

Continued Persecution and Resistance 

Another theme that emerges in the documentary is the continued persecution and surveillance of Tamils by the Sri Lankan state.

In 2013, Rathika traveled to Sri Lanka for the first time in 27 years. During this trip, she would be followed and interrogated by Sri Lankan officials. While visiting an orphanage on the island, a group of government officials showed up claiming that they had a warrant for her arrest. She would later confirm with the Canadian High Commission that there was no such arrest warrant in her name. Today, the Sri Lankan government continues to surveil, intimidate, and persecute Tamil human rights defenders, civil society activists and victims of state violence. Others featured in the documentary expressed hesitation of speaking out against the Sri Lankan government fearing they may face retaliation even after having fled the island.

When asked what her initial reaction was to the intimidation and surveillance she was subjected to while in Sri Lanka, Rathika explained that she was grateful.

“I am grateful that this happened to me because I was a Canadian living in a fishbowl, the world’s eye was on me and they were still willing to do this. If they were so brazen to do this to me what are the locals actually living through? I was a test subject to show the world that Sri Lanka is still continuing its genocidal acts.” She adds that every individual she would come in contact with during that trip would tell her that they were also interrogated by the state. 

Among those who face intimidation at the hands of the Sri Lankan government are Tamil families of the disappeared. Tamil mothers and fathers have continued to seek justice for their forcibly disappeared loved ones. Their protests have been ongoing since 2017, however, domestic mechanisms have repeatedly failed to provide answers. Tamil civil society organizations and international human rights organizations have repeatedly raised alarm over the use of intimidation tactics used by the Sri Lankan army, police, and paramilitary forces against families of the disappeared. Featured in the documentary are some of the conversations Rathika was able to have with Tamil women who were searching for their disappeared loved ones. When asked why this was important to her she explains that “Their voices are silenced, I wanted to use my voice and my platform to shed light on their voices. I saw myself as providing a space for them to have their voices heard and their stories told. What is more powerful than a mother telling her own story?” In the aftermath of the Mullivaikal massacre there were approximately 80,000 women-headed households. Rathika notes that women leading these households “didn’t have space to breathe or mourn, they just had to look for their children and their husbands and keep going”. 

The Tamil Struggle as a Global Struggle

The Tamil movement must be situated in the context of the broader struggle for the liberation of oppressed peoples around the world. Rathika notes that the film which has been showcased in 6 countries has resonated deeply with the global community. “So many people are saying, ‘this is our story, you talking about it [the Tamil story] has given me space to talk about my story’. It is not just a Tamil documentary, it is a global story of genocide and resilience. There is so much more work to be done, we can only do that if we come together as a global community”. 

Fifteen years after the final phase of armed conflict, Tamil people have yet to see justice for the atrocities committed against them. Despite the failure of domestic mechanisms and the lack of international political will to hold the Sri Lankan government accountable, Tamil people continue to organize at all political levels around the world with an ever strengthening resolve. The film provides a small window into the vast and complex landscape of Tamil resistance in all its forms, it calls on the viewer to carry on the fight through education, self-reflection, art, conversations, and community building.

When asked what she would say to younger generations to make sure that the momentum is never lost Rathika responds, “Stay curious, ask questions about yourself, ask questions while your grandparents are alive, keep asking questions. Do whatever you can to keep the conversations going”.  Ray of Hope depicts an unfaltering resistance that transcends time and space, a resistance that must continue in the face of a continuing genocide, "Very publicly Sri lanka denies the genocide, they celebrate the end of Eelam. The genocide is not over because the denial continues”. 

To learn more or support the Ray of Hope documentary click here or email [email protected]

Pakkiyaselvam Ariyanenthiran, a former lawmaker who was put forward by a range of Tamil political parties as a candidate for the upcoming Sri Lankan presidential elections, stepped up his campaign in recent weeks, as he visited the site of an LTTE cemetery, the Mullivaiikkal memorial and met with a range of civil society activists.

This week, Ariyanenthiran continued his election campaign in Mallavi, meeting with representatives of the Mallavi Trade Association and former LTTE cadres.

Ariyanenthiran was accompanied by several Tamil MPs, including Suresh Premachandran, Sivasakthi Ananthan, MK Sivajilingam, and the former mayor of Jaffna, Viswalingham Mannivannan. He also met with Bishop Emmanuel Fernando Andaga of the Mannar Diocese, engaging in a cordial discussion, and paid his respects to the statue of Father Selva in the Mannar Bazaar area earlier today.

Speaking to reporters after his meeting with the Bishop, Ariyanenthiran stated that the Bishop had advised him to unite all Tamils and help improve their lives by advocating for their rights and needs. He emphasized that his candidacy serves as a message to the Sri Lankan government that Tamil votes matter.

In a recent interview with the Tamil Guardian, Ariyanenthiran reiterated that his candidacy aims to be a representative voice for both the international community and the southern part of Sri Lanka, highlighting the rights that should be granted to the Tamil people, who have suffered genocide in their own land.

He also mentioned that he has been canvassing throughout the North-East and plans to visit more constituencies in the coming days.

As part of his campaigning, the former Batticaloa MP also visited the Mullivaikkal memorial, where he paid tribute to the tens of thousands of Tamils who were massacred by the Sri Lanka security forces in 2009.

Addressing the audience in Mullaitivu, he stated that he is not running to become the next President of Sri Lanka but to demonstrate to the rest of the country and the international community that the grievances of the Tamil people remain unresolved despite the numerous Presidential elections the country has seen.

"This is the time for the Tamil community to awaken the conscience of the international community,” he said. “We are united. We have been without rights for 15 years since Mullivaikal. We spoke to three presidents during that time, and none offered a solution. So we are not ready to vote for you. We must claim our rights in a united North-East."

Ariyanenthiran also visited the Mulankavil Thuyilum Ilam, the site of an LTTE cemetery, in recent weeks. The cemetery, which once housed the graves of LTTE fighters, has been destroyed by the Sri Lankan government, which bulldozed over the graves.

Ariyanenthiran paid tribute to the fallen fighters as part of his campaign.

“We have lost many Tamil lives in the struggle for our rights,” Ariyanenthiran told the Tamil Guardian last week. “After being repeatedly deceived by successive [Sinhala] presidents, it is time to reflect on these issues. This is why Tamils have decided to field a common candidate.”

The leader-elect of the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) Sivagnanam Shritharan, called on Tamils to vote in favour of the common candidate Pakkiyaselvam Ariyanenthiran, as he praised and recalled the sacrifices of LTTE fighters from the Eastern Province.

“We are at a key juncture in our history,” Shritharan told an audience in London this week, with Sri Lankan presidential elections scheduled for this month.

The leader-elect of the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) Sivagnanam Shritharan, called on Tamils to vote in favour of the common candidate Pakkiyaselvam Ariyanenthiran, as he praised and recalled the sacrifices of LTTE fighters from the Eastern Province.

“We are at a key juncture in our history,” Shritharan told an audience in London this week, with Sri Lankan presidential elections scheduled for this month.

“General elections are now key events for Tamil people. The election battlegrounds have turned into opportunities for our people to show that they are still here... Each election is a battleground.”

Shritharan has spoken out in support of Ariyanenthiran, who secured the backing of several Tamil political parties and civil society organisations last month. Ariyanenthiran previously represented the ITAK as an MP from Batticaloa.

“The defeat of Jayasikurui and the freeing of Kilinochchi was due in large part to fighters from Batticaloa, Amparai and Trinco,” said Shritharan, referring to Sri Lanka’s failed 1997 military operation that was beaten back by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

“Those fighters' tears, blood and flesh are still on Kilinochchi's earth. The buildings we have built today stand on the blood and tears of these brethren from the Eastern homeland.”

“I am not saying Northerners didn't also fight. But large numbers from the East gave up their lives in the North. In those days I was a volunteer with war support groups. We would take 6 or 7 heroes' bodies daily for burial at Theraavil Resting Home. They had no mother, father or siblings to mourn. We have buried so many fighters like this in Theraavil. When we showered them with flowers and then sand, they had no relatives to cry for them.”

“It is from those Eastern homelands we are seeing this common candidate. So, what is our message to the spirits of the fallen?”

“What are we going to say to those mothers of the disappeared?” the parliamentarian continued.

“We can't take up arms again. How many of us know how to fire a gun! How many of us know how to make a bomb, to fire an artillery! Yet, in these 15 years not one of us have thought about taking up a gun, a bomb or firing a shell.”

“Over the 15 years we have shown to the world we are a peace loving people. But neither the world nor Sri Lanka are ready to give us a just political solution. They are asking us for goodwill. "You behave with goodwill, you give them ground here, you behave nicely."

“But they are asking us to be submissive to those who unleashed a war on us, who killed scores of us, who destroyed our property. They are telling us to listen to them, to do as they say. Is this justice? The perpetrator is the judge. The one who killed us is now a policeman. This is what we are asking - through this vote we can send a message to the world.”

Shritharan went on to reiterate his support for Ariyanenthiran and urged Tamils to vote for him this month.

“Each vote cast for the conch symbol is for our people,” he said. “It is for those who gave up their lives for our people.”

“There are many Heroes Resting Homes in the North,” he said, referring to the now destroyed LTTE cemeteries, which housed the graves of thousands of fighters.

“But give a moment to think about those who lie in Theraavil Resting Home. If we fail to support the candidate from the Eastern homeland then we will be judged by history as a people of empty word and those who failed to use their vote as a weapon.”

When asked by the audience on ITAK parliamentarian Sumanthiran’s remarks that the common candidate is an "absolute waste", Shritharan replied “if that is the depth of Sumanthiran's intellect and depth of knowledge then go and ask him”.

“No diplomats exerted any pressure on me on this matter,” said Shritharan, replying to another question from the audience, as he detailed his conversations with foreign diplomats prior to coming to London.

“They are asking again, “Why is a common candidate being fielded?”. I asked the South African ambassador recently why they are taking Israel to the International Criminal Court (ICC) but not Sri Lanka. He simply said "Best of luck Mr Shritharan. I can only wish you well but I cannot express an opinion. We will consider this, we will study this. Maybe in future we may support you in an ICC referral."

“The Canadian ambassador also said this. But it is some people amongst us who are denying genocide happened. So why not get a mandate from our people at this ballet? Not to win the election. But to say with one voice what happened to us was genocide and we deserve international accountability. I believe it [a large vote] will take us to the next step in our struggle.”

The assassinated ITAK politician V. Dharmalingam was remembered in Jaffna today on the 39th anniversary of his murder. The former MP for Uduvil and Manipay, and founding member of TULF is suspected to have been killed by a rival Tamil militant group, although no one claimed responsibility for the killing. At the event today, E. Sarveswaran, a lecturer from the Department of Education, at the Jaffna University, delivered a memorial speech. Several political figures, including Dharmalingam’s son Siddharthan, attended the remembrance event held in Thavadi at the Dharmalingam memorial monument.

The UN Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka, Marc- Andre Franche, said there is a "critical need to establish the truth" and provide justice to victims of enforced disappearances, in a statement marking the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances.

The UN Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka, Marc- Andre Franche, said there is a "critical need to establish the truth" and provide justice to victims of enforced disappearances, in a statement marking the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances.

Franche highlighted that thousands of families are waiting to know the fate of their loved ones who were forcibly disappeared by the Sri Lankan state and stated "that much remains to be done to ensure victims’ right to truth, justice, and reparations."

He called on the Office of Missing Persons (OMP) to fully utilise its borad legal powers to "prioritise tracing" of those who were forcibly disappeared. Although the OMP was established eight years ago, it has not successfully traced one disappeared person. Tamil families of the disappeared have repeatedly rejected the office and deemed it an "ineffective mechanism". 

Franche who was also a witness to the exhumation of the mass grave in Kokkuthoduvai, said he hoped investigations would be expedited to help provide some answers to the families of the disappeared.

"Swift progress in the Mullaitivu case would help establish confidence and build momentum that may prove helpful in other instances." Franche visited the mass grave following the 15th anniversary of the Mullivaikkal genocide and accompanied the families of the disappeared along with their lawyers to the mass grave site. 

Franche also noted that Tamil families of the disappeared and human rights defenders  have been subjected to threats, intimidation and stigmatisation in their pursuit for justice. He called on the authorities to "do more to ensure those seeking justice are not targeted for their legitimate advocacy."

On August 30, Tamil families of the disappeared rallied across the North-East to mark the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances. Families of the disappeared were reaffirming their calls for an internationally led investigation into enforced disappearances, as successive Sri Lankan governments have failed to address their demands. 

A group of human rights organisations have called on UN member states and observers states to renew the mandate of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) at the upcoming UNHRC session to provide Tamil victim survivors with truth, justice and reparations. 

In a joint statement, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, International Commission of Jurists, Sri Lanka Campaign, Forum-Asia and Franciscan International said that renewing the mandate is "vital" in enabling the Sri Lanka Accountability Project to complete its work. 

Resolution 46/1, which was adoped in March 2021, recognised the importance of preserving and analysing evidence in relation to human rights abuses committed in Sri Lanka. The resolution called for the capacity of the OHCHR to be strengthened so that it could "collect, consolidate, analyse and preserve” evidence that may be used in future war crimes trials. As a result, the Sri Lanka Accountability Project was established. 

If the mandate is not renewed, the groups said it "would disincentivise adherence to international human rights law, and betray the many victims of grave human rights violations and abuses and their families who, in the absence of domestic accountability, look to the United Nations for justice, truth and reparation."

The UNHRC's 57th session will begin on September 9 and will discuss the OHCHR's recent report which details the sexual abuse and intimidation of Tamil activists by Sri Lanka’s security forces; continued crackdowns on memorial activities across the North-East; and failure to advance accountability for human rights abuses committed.

A staunch supporter of Eelam Tamil aspirations and an unwavering voice for those who fought for freedom and safety for asylum seekers, Viraj Mendis was laid to rest in Germany this week.

A staunch supporter of Eelam Tamil aspirations and an unwavering voice for those who fought for freedom and safety for asylum seekers, Viraj Mendis was laid to rest in Germany this week.

Family, relatives, refugees, and human rights activists alike from around the world made their way to Bremen in northwest Germany to pay their last respects. 

In the UK, he was actively engaged in politics and passionately advocated for the rights of the Tamil people, despite being of Sinhalese heritage. He also participated in anti-deportation campaigns, collaborating with others to successfully prevent the removal of around Tamils from the UK.

Mendis first came to Britain in 1973 to study engineering at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST). As a student, he was actively involved in fighting various deportations of asylums seekers.

Yet in 1984, Mendis was served with a deportation order by British authorities. After his final appeal was denied, despite a defence campaign by his supporters, he sought sanctuary at the Church of the Ascension in Hulme. On December 20, 1986, he entered the church, where he would remain for the next 760 days, garnering national media attention.

His campaign ultimately failed and on January 18, 1989, Mendis was forcibly removed from the church and deported to Sri Lanka. The next year, he was granted asylum in Bremen, Germany, where he spent the following 30 years living with his partner.

In 2019, the Sri Lankan government added him to their list of known “terrorists” in an updated gazette notification. 

“The listing by the Sri Lankan State of someone whose real crime has been to campaign strenuously against the criminalisation of the Tamil struggle, shows an escalation in political repression,” Mendis told the Tamil Guardian at the time.

“The continuation of the criminalisation of the oppressed (Tamils) by the oppressor (Sinhalese) – portraying those who are victims of a greatest injustice (Genocide) as being the real criminals – continues to this day. The Tamil people’s resistance movement (the LTTE) that fought against the genocidal attack is still characterised as terrorist. Tamils who collected money in the Diaspora to send to their homeland are themselves called terrorists. So, characterising a Sinhalese progressive who strenuously challenges this narrative as being also a terrorist is only an extension of this monstrous state of affairs.”    

Tributes to Mendis were held around the world, including in Canada and across the Tamil homeland.

^{Tributes in Jaffna last week.}

The Jaffna Press Club held a memorial event for Tamil journalist Pragas Gnanapragasam who passed away after contracting coronavirus in 2021, aged just 26-years-old. 

Pragas was an independent journalist writing for magazines and newspapers in the North-East. He also contributed to the Tamil Guardian, as a correspondent based in the North-East, sending updates from the homeland. 

 Despite being a muscular dystrophy patient, he remained unvaccinated. Pragas was reportedly told by officials that he was not yet eligible to be vaccinated.

Pragas was awarded the Raviraj Memorial Award in recognition of the contribution to the society for Integration Activities Through Social Media in 2019. “

"I bow to all those who have supported me in that way, including my parents who have been committed to me, for those who have recommended me for this award and the late "Mamanidhar" Raviraj,” he said at the time.

Read more here: Pragas Gnanapragasam, 26-year-old Tamil journalist dies from coronavirus.