• US Congress members stand with Tamils in remembering genocide victims

    May 18

    To mark the 15 years since the Tamil genocide, US Congress members said they stand with Tamils as they remember the tens of thousands that were killed by Sri Lanka in 2009. 

    US Congresswoman Summer Lee said she stands with "Tamils all over the world as they remember the victims and survivors of the state-sponsored Tamil genocide during the final stages of the armed conflict in 2009." 

     

     

    US Congresswoman Deborah Ross also said she is joining Tamils to "remember this tragedy and seek justice for the victims & their families."

     

     

    This week, a landmark resolution was introduced to the US Congress calling on the United States to work towards an independence referendum for Eelam Tamils and recognise the genocide committed against them by the Sri Lankan state.

    The resolution, introduced by Representative Wiley Nickel, is the first of its kind to be brought to the US Congress. It comes as Tamils marked 15 years since the Mullivaikkal genocide this week, with May 18 commemorated as Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day worldwide.

     

  • Canadian parliament marks Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day

    The Canadian parliament which was the first in the world to formally recognise May 18 as Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day, held a sombre commemoration at the parliament last week attended by several ministers, members of parliament, and the Tamil community. 

    The event was opened by Pranavan, who witnessed the genocide firsthand and told the audience of the vivid details that made up his memory of the last stages of the armed conflict. The attendees also laid flowers near a framed photograph of Mullivaikkal which was placed in the hall. 

    Annie Koutrakis, the Liberal MP for Quebec who spoke at the event said the recognition of the day the Canadian Parliament reaffirms their commitment to truth, justice, and accountability. “It underscores our solidarity with the Tamil community and our unwavering support for their quest for justice and reconciliation.” Several MPs who spoke at the event said they would urge the government of Sri Lanka to hold those accountable and deliver justice. 

    Meanwhile, Premier Justin Trudeau issuing a statement today said Canada will always advocate for justice and accountability for the crimes committed during the conflict, as well as for the hardships faced by all in Sri Lanka. “In 2023, we imposed sanctions against four former Sri Lankan government officials in response to their violations of human rights in the country during the armed conflict,” he said in a statement. 

    “Canada is a strong defender of human rights in Sri Lanka. We are advancing our work with international partners to fully implement the United Nations Human Rights Council resolution adopted in October 2022, which calls for greater reconciliation, justice, accountability, and human rights in Sri Lanka. And we continue to urge the Government of Sri Lanka to respect freedom of religion, belief, and pluralism – essential values to build lasting peace.”

    He added that the Mullivaikkal commemoration reminds all of the shared responsibility to stand up for human rights, justice, and accountability. In his statement, he reiterated that Canada will work to protect human rights across the world. 

     

  • US Senator calls on Sri Lankan authorities to allow commemorations 'without fear of arrests'

    US Senator for Maryland, Ben Cardin, called on Sri Lanka to allow Tamils to commemorate 15 years since genocide "without fear of arrest". 

    The senator, who also chairs the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said on X: 

     

    "Troubled by arrests around Mullivaikkal Day in Sri Lanka, a commemoration of thousands of Tamils killed, forcibly disappeared & tortured during Sri Lanka’s brutal civil war. The Sri Lankan gov't must allow for peaceful commemorations without fear of arrest."-Chair @SenatorCardin https://t.co/TjKN16km2x

    — Senate Foreign Relations Committee (@SFRCdems) May 18, 2024

     

    Commemorations in the North-East have been met with surveillance, harassment and arrests. In Batticaloa, Tamil students from the Eastern University were threatened with arrest during a vigil outside the university campus. Sri Lankan police officers aggressively pushed flowers and candles that were set up for the vigil and took away a pot of kanji that the students were going to serve. 

    Last week, four Tamils were arrested in Trincomalee for serving kanji to remember the victims and victim survivors of the genocide that took place in 2009. 

     

  • Tamils in Denmark commemorate Mullivaikkal with open-air exhibit

    Tamils in Denmark commemorated Mullivaikkal with an open-air exhibit showcasing the final phase of the armed conflict which led to the massacre of thousands of Tamil civilians by the Sri Lankan government. 

    The exhibit which was held at the Kongens Nytorv square in the Danish capital, was an attempt to also create awareness among the Danish public of the atrocities committed by the Sri Lankan government. The Union of Danish Tamil Organization organised the event. Organisers distributed pamphlets that were aimed at creating awareness while talking people through the stages that led to the final phase and the countless war crimes committed by the Sri Lankan Security Forces. 

    In addition to the exhibit, Tamils in Denmark have been holding religious ceremonies at Churches and Kovils in memory of the thousands of Tamils who were massacred in the armed conflict. 

  • Canadian politicians commemorate Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day

    Canadian politicians across the political spectrum commemorate Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day and renew calls for accountability. 

    Jagmeet Singh - Leader of New Democratic Party (NDP)

    NDP leader Jagmeet Singh said, “On Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day, we remember the thousands of people who were massacred & disappeared by the Sri Lankan state.”

     

    On Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day, we remember the thousands of people who were massacred & disappeared by the Sri Lankan state.

    Today & forever— I stand in solidarity with the Tamil community in seeking justice for these atrocities.

    You deserve peace, justice & accountability.

    — Jagmeet Singh (@theJagmeetSingh) May 18, 2024

     

    Gary Anandasangaree - MP for Scarborough-Rouge Park

    MP Gary Anandasangaree posted a video on X where he speaks about Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day. 

     

    Today, Tamils across Canada are coming together to mark Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day. pic.twitter.com/8EZ2DcD4V5

    — Gary Anandasangaree (@gary_srp) May 18, 2024

     

    Anandasangaree says "The notion of recognizing Tamil genocide or the path towards accountability and justice is not a partisan endeavor."

    The MP highlights that in January of 2023, Canada became the first country to sanction the Rajapaksa brothers. Anandasangaree adds that such a step was possible because of advocacy from the Tamil community. 

    Anandasangree continues "We have walked far the last 15 years, but we have a long way to go. And, I'm hoping that we will all be able to walk on that path together."

    Vijay Thanigasalam - MPP Scarborough-Rouge Park

    MPP Vijay Thanigasalam said in a post on X "Since its independence, the state of Sri Lanka has been on a path towards genocide."

    Thanigasalam highlights "While we cannot bring back lives lost, together, we can reaffirm our commitment to educate the next generation about the suffering, and bring justice and freedom to Tamil people."

     

     

    Tim Louis - MP for Kitchener-Conestoga 

    In a post on X, MP Tim Louis recognized the 15th Anniversary of the Mullivaikkal Genocide.

    He adds "Let us acknowledge the tireless advocacy of the Tamil diaspora worldwide, and stand together in solidarity seeking justice for the victims and their families"

     

     

     

  • Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day commemorated by University of Jaffna

    Students and staff at the University of Jaffna marked Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day. 

    Flowers with laid at a monument dedicated to the victims of the Tamil genocide. 

    The current monument was erected in April 2021 after it was bulldozed by Sri Lankan authorities in January 2021. 

  • Canadian Prime Minister and Opposition Leader mark Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day

    Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, and Opposition leader, Pierre Poilievre have issued statements commemorating Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day. 

    "Today we honour victims, survivors, and their loved ones" - Justin Trudeau 

    Justin Trudeau’s statement reads, 

    "Fifteen years ago, the quarter-century-long armed conflict in Sri Lanka came to an end. Tens of thousands of Tamils tragically lost their lives, including at the massacre in Mullivaikal. To this day, many more remain missing, injured, or displaced. Today, we honour the victims, survivors, and their loved ones, who live with the lasting pain caused by this senseless violence.”

    “Two years ago, Canada’s Parliament unanimously voted to recognize May 18 as Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day. We will always advocate for justice and accountability for the crimes committed during the conflict, as well as for the hardships faced by all in Sri Lanka. In 2023, we imposed sanctions against four former Sri Lankan government officials in response to their violations of human rights in the country during the armed conflict."

    The Canadian Prime Minister also emphasized Canada’s commitment to defending human rights in Sri Lanka. 

    As a part of this commitment, Trudeau states that Canada is working with international partners to see the full implementation of the October 2022 United Nations Human Rights Council resolution which calls for greater justice and accountability in Sri Lanka. 

    "Despite their unimaginable suffering, Canadians of Tamil descent have relentlessly pursued justice for their loved ones" - Pierre Poilievre

    In a video statement, Opposition leader Pierre Poilievre commemorated the Tamil Genocide.

    Poilievre says that the Conservative party grieves the loss of Tamil life in a campaign of genocide and anti-Tamil pogroms. 

    The opposition leader promised that if elected his government will "continue to call for the release of political prisoners in Sri Lanka and demand that the Rajapaksas answer for the genocide they perpetrated." 

  • Tamil resistance cannot be broken' - PEARL

    In a statement marking 15 years since the Tamil genocide, People for Equality and Relief in Lanka (PEARL) said that "Tamil resistance cannot be broken" as the Tamil nation remain "steadfast for their legitimate political rights."

    The US based advocacy organisation highlighted the failure of the international community in stopping the massacre at Mullivaikkal in 2009. Tamils across the diaspora called on the international community to intervene to block Sri Lanka's genocidal offensive. Mass protests took place across the major cities around the world, demanding a permanent ceasefire. 

    "The failures of the international community to halt the mass killing of Tamils, as well as the complicity of international actors supporting the Sri Lankan state, even at the height of the war in 2009, contributed to the atrocities going unchecked," the statement said. 

    For the last 15 years, Tamils have been consistently calling for international accountability for Sri Lanka's atrocity crimes. However, the organisation highlights that since Sri Lanka's economic crisis, it has benefitted from "positive engagement and bilateral support, while evading international accountability."

    "Sri Lanka’s denial of its crimes, combined with the lack of political will in the international arena to hold Sri Lanka accountable, has created a dangerous precedent for impunity all around the globe," PEARL said. 

    "Today’s political landscape has shown that Tamil resistance cannot be broken. On the contrary, in the years since Mullivaikkal, Tamils have shown how effectively they have reorganized themselves and advanced Tamil demands at all levels of politics," they added. 

    Read the full statement here. 

     

  • Tamils in Glasgow mark Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day

    Tamils in Glasgow held a demonstration in Glasgow, Scotland today to mark 15 years since the Tamil genocide. 

    They held placards that read 'Eelam Tamils want international justice' and 'Tamils want action, not words'. 

    Tamils in the North-East and the diaspora are marking the day with remembrance events. 

  • Sri Lankan police wreak havoc at Tamil genocide remembrance event at Eastern University

    A group of Sri Lankan police officers wreaked havoc and blocked the distribution of kanji as Eastern University students tried to commemorate Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day. 

    Sri Lankan police officers surrounded the students who were preparing the kanji outside the campus gates and demanded that they stopped the commemoration. 

    Video footage shows a police officer pushing off the flowers and candles that were laid on a stand by the students to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the Tamil genocide. The police officers proceeded to take the pot of kanji away without any explanation as to why the commemoration could not take place. The officers poured the kanji on the floor as they took it away. 

    Plainclothed officers videoed all of the students in an attempt to intimidate them. 

    Kanji is being distributed across the North-East in memory of the plight the Tamil people faced as they were trapped in the Sri Lankan government declared 'No Fire Zones'. 

    Earlier in the day, the police officers had torn down red and yellow flags that the students had erected to mark the day. The students were then taken to the police station. 

    Throughout the week, Sri Lankan police in Batticaloa have been clamping down on events dedicated to remembering the Tamil genocide and the tens of thousands of Tamils who were massacred in the final months of the conflict. 

     

  • Hundreds of Tamils commemorate Mullivaikkal Genocide at Southend-on-Sea with lanterns and memorials

    Around 300 Tamils living around the coastal town of Southend-on-Sea in England descended on a beach at dusk on 17 May to remember their loved ones who perished in the genocide of Mullivaikkal on the island of Sri Lanka 15 years ago.

    This event was one of many in Britain in the lead-up to Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day, which is marked annually on 18 May.

    The usual noise and party atmosphere of Shoebury East Beach was replaced by quiet reflection, floral tributes, memorial speeches and poems, culminating in the mass release of hundreds of biodegradable floating memorial lanterns into the waves. 

    Mullivaikkal kanji was also served to participants and local residents in the vicinity, at a time the same innocuous activity in the Tamil homeland has been met with banning orders, arrests and intimidation by Sri Lankan authorities.  

    Among the participants in Southend were several survivors of the genocide. One of them, Mrs Nishanthini Shandrathasan, said to Tamil Guardian it was apt that a beach was the setting for this event, given the location of the Tamil genocide fifteen years ago was also a beach in Mullivaikkal. She lit the symbolic memorial flame before the most poignant moment of the event when everyone present released memorial lanterns in the water. The lanterns were soon carried to the deep sea, the flickering lights still visible by the receding tide, which had peaked with impeccable timing only a few minutes earlier. 

    An event organiser said their wish was for this type of memorial to become widespread and for them to take place on multiple beaches in Britain and afar during the Tamil Genocide Remembrance Week from 12 to 18 May. "We need to make Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day as much part of the psyche as Holocaust Memorial Day is, and Mullivaikkal kanji has to become a symbol of the horrors experienced by our people so future generations never forget", she said.

  • Tamil families of the disappeared reiterate call for international mechanism

    Tamil relatives and family members of the disappeared, as well as representatives of the Missing Person’s Associations from the North-East, met with the General Secretary of Amnesty International Agnes Callamard to reiterate their call for an international mechanism to account for atrocities committed by the Sri Lankan government.

    Speaking at length with her in Mullaitivu, the women urged Callamard to ensure justice for them and the survivors of the genocide. During their engagement with her, they emphasized that the Tamils have no faith in any domestic mechanism or attempts to reconcile through various Sri Lankan government-led commissions. 

    The families rejected any notion of a "hybrid" mechanism with state involvement, noting that the Sri Lankan government had 15 years to do so, but only produced countless reports and instituted several commissions. The Tamil women also highlighted to Callamard the many instances the Sri Lankan government has attempted to thwart Mullivaikkal commemoration events throughout the North-East. 

    Speaking at the event Callamard said that she would "certainly would want governments and states to bring this issue to the attention of the Security Council, so that the Security Council can possibly act and demand an International Criminal Court investigation".

  • Hartal held across Mullaitivu to mark Tamil Genocide Remembrance day

    A hartal was held by businesses and traders in Mullaitivu to mark Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day.

  • EXCLUSIVE - Amnesty International chief calls for Sri Lanka referral to UN Security Council

    On the 15th anniversary of the genocide at Mullivaikal, Amnesty International's Secretary-General, Agnes Callamard, has called on the international community to take decisive action by referring Sri Lanka to the United Nations Security Council with a view to an International Criminal Court investigation. Speaking to Tamil Guardian after attending the Mullivaikal commemoration today, Callamard highlighted the ongoing struggle for justice and the critical need for international intervention, including the application of universal jurisdiction to deliver justice when Sri Lankan war criminals travel abroad.

    "[The Mullivaikkal commemoration] was very, very moving," said Callamard, highlighting that she had met with the mothers of the disappeared earlier, who spoke about their anguish, their fears, and the repression they face. Their anguish stems from not knowing what happened to their loved ones, Callamard said, adding that “this ceremony is a grim reminder of everyone's failures”.

    Callamard emphasised the significance of these commemorations for the Tamil community, stressing the fundamental right to remember and honour lost loved ones. "It is a supremely important moment for the Tamil community. It is a moment that must be respected by the authorities. It's a peaceful gathering of people who want to remember and commemorate. This is a fundamental right."

    Addressing the broader implications of the struggle for justice, Callamard noted, "these events remind the world that the community is still looking for justice,” adding that the events demonstrated “a resolve to keep working towards justice”.

    Agnes Callamard lays flowers at Mullivaikkal

    Callamard also underscored the responsibility of the international community to ensure that Sri Lanka remains on the global agenda. “The message I wanted to convey was that Sri Lanka is not falling off the agenda. Yes, the government may want the rest of the world to forget about the war and the search for justice. Yes, the government is unhappy when the UN in Geneva or in New York is reminding the world that 15 years on, justice has not been delivered. But we are here to ensure that Sri Lanka and the search for justice does not fall off international attention.”

    Callamard laid out specific steps for the international community. "First, they need to bring this issue to the agenda of the Human Rights Council, which remains the supreme body for anything related to human rights. Second, we certainly would want governments and states to bring this issue to the attention of the Security Council, so that the Security Council can possibly act and demand an International Criminal Court investigation."

    She further emphasised the importance of funding and supporting international initiatives like the Accountability Project for Sri Lanka and ensuring that the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has the resources to continue its work.

    "The international community must use their own courts of justice to deliver justice whenever those war criminals are travelling abroad. There is a principle called universal jurisdiction. It must be implemented, including for Sri Lankan war criminals."

  • I made a commitment that the UK would support truth, justice and accountability' - UK Foreign Secretary marks Mullivaikkal Remembrance

    Marking 15 years since the Mullivaikkal genocide, Britain's Foreign Secretary, Lord David Cameron, has issued a statement touting the UK's efforts to improve human rights and support meaningful progress that will allow those on the island to "remember their loved ones freely".

    The statement comes as Tamils conducting memorials faced continued crackdowns by the Sri Lankan police. In Kilinochchi, four Tamils were arrested for distributing Kanji. His statement further read:

    “As we mark the 15th anniversary of the end of Sri Lanka’s armed conflict, my thoughts are with all those killed and disappeared, and with their loved ones who continue to search for answers [...] I heard first-hand about the devastating consequences of the war when I visited Northern Sri Lanka in 2013. There I made a commitment that the UK would support truth, justice, and accountability for all."

    Cameron has written on his historic visit to Jaffna in 2013 in his memoirs. “The day I spent there will live long in my memory,” wrote Cameron.

    “I saw what was left of Jaffna Library, whose priceless manuscripts had been destroyed by fire as government forces tried to eradicate Tamil history.”

    “I visited the Tamil newspaper’s offices and met the editor, who has lived in the building for the past three years because he feared for his life. There was a charred printing press that had been shot and burned by regime hoodlums, and the walls were covered with bullet holes where journalists had been murdered.”

    “I went to a refugee camp, whose existence the regime denied. I’ll never forget the crowds of women, holding up photos of young men, desperate to tell us their stories. We all had letters thrust towards us about these sons, husbands, fathers and brothers who had surrendered to the military and not been seen since. What had happened to them? Could we help find them?”

    Read his full statement here.

     

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