The 15th anniversary of the genocide at Mullivaikal was commemorated today in Mannar, organised by the Tamil National Right to Life Movement under the leadership of its president, V.S. Sivakaran.
The commemoration started with the lighting of a memorial lamp and laying of a flower garland by local priest Father Avithappar. The event was held at the statue of Thanthai Chelva in the Mannar Bazaar area. Following the garland-laying, attendees were offered Mullivaikkal kanji, a commemorative gesture to honour the memory of those who perished, and the hardship faced by survivors in the final days of the genocide. The ceremony saw participation from political representatives, civil society representatives, social activists, and the general public.
The Tamil National Right to Life Movement released a statement highlighting the continued struggles faced by the Tamil people since the end of the war. The statement underscored the persistent lack of justice and accountability for the atrocities committed, emphasising that various commissions and political efforts have failed to bring about meaningful change or justice.
"Fifteen years have passed since the genocide of Tamils and nothing has changed," the statement reads. "Even after 15 years of genocide, no change has happened. Various commissions have become useless. Tamil politicians have not taken any orderly and systematic action to move the genocide issue forward."
The statement further criticised the ongoing human rights abuses, repression of free speech, military intervention in civil matters, and other forms of aggression by the Sri Lankan government. It lamented the lack of progress on issues such as the fate of the forcibly disappeared and the ineffectiveness of international resolutions and human rights interventions.
"They came here as human rights defenders from many parts of the world and watched us for fun but did not establish justice," the statement continued. "Those who pretended to be all the dreamers of the world together staged the genocide at Mullivaikal. How can we expect justice from them? There is no history anywhere that this world has ever established justice within the rules and regulations."
The statement called for unity among Tamils to secure their ethnic, linguistic, natural, and self-determination rights. It emphasised the necessity of holding incompetent Tamil leaders accountable and urged the Tamil community to unite as one nation to achieve justice and honour the memory of those who died in Mullivaikal.
