The second day of Mullivaikkal remembrance week was marked on Thursday to remember those who were massacred in the final days of the armed conflict.
Tamil National People's Front (TNPF) MP and general secretary, Selvarajah Kajendran, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) lawyer Kandeepan, Attorney General Sukas joined others to pay their respects by lighting a flame at the Mullivaikkal yard, in memory of those who were killed.
May 18th, also known as Tamil Genocide Day, will mark twelve years since the genocidal military offensive which saw the massacre of tens of thousands of Tamils, in the weeks leading up to 18 May 2009.
Earlier this week, Sri Lankan army vandalised the Mullivaikkal memorial and stole a memorial stone. While the Sri Lankan army has denied any involvement in the destruction, the site had been cordoned off by soldiers at the time and boot prints left near the damage.
Despite all commemoration events taking place in accordance with coronavirus social distancing rules, the Mullaitivu Magistrate Court has issued an order, prohibiting all types of commemorative activities in Mullivaikkal from May 16 to May 22, due to alleged concerns related to the rise in coronavirus cases in Sri Lanka. Seven police stations in the Mullaitivu district have also obtained court injunctions against 27 individuals, including two MPs, preventing them from carrying out Mullivaikkal commemorations, as the state continues to clamp down on the right to memorialisation.
