Demanding Accountability for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide
It has been nine years, since more than 450,000 Tamil people were corralled into a coastal village in the north eastern corner of the island of Sri Lanka, which the Sri Lankan state had designated as “no fire zone” and pounded with heavy artillery from land, sea and air, killing nearly a third of them and maiming tens of thousands more.
Since then, the surviving Tamil people and their kith & kin across the globe, have been crying for justice and calling for an international investigation into this genocidal onslaught. At the first anniversary of the massacre The British Tamils Forum organised a mass commemoration and named the genocide event “Mullivaikkal” after the coastal village in which those innocent men, women and children perished. The survivors of this massacre living in the island of Sri Lanka and the Tamil people world over, have been commemorating Mullivaikkal on 18th May every year.
Nine years on, the Tamil people are continuing to be subjected to structural genocide by the Sri Lankan state. The Tamils who have been living in their traditional homeland in the North East of the island of Sri Lanka for thousands of years, are facing slow but systematic annihilation. Archaeological evidences of their ancient and rich history are being systematically destroyed and Tamil heritage sites are being built upon with Buddhist structures. The collective wishes of the Tamil people to manage their political, social, economic and cultural affairs are denied to them and their attempts to emerge from the effects of the war are being deliberately impeded by the Sinhala state. The Sri Lankan state is meticulously decimating the Tamil homeland by colonising it with Sinhala settlements. The Tamil people’s economic base and their livelihoods are being destroyed by the Sri Lankan state security forces. The tri- forces of the Sri Lankan state are running large agricultural, retail and commercial enterprises, subsidised by a defence budget, wielding state power over the local farmers, retailers and small businesses.
Since 2009, the Tamil people world over have been clamouring for justice while the Sri Lankan state has been working systematically to destroy this unity by creating conflicts and contradictions among the Tamils.“Mullivaikkal” is a sombre event that every Tamil person and those who stand for humanity around the world should stand shoulder to shoulder to remind ourselves that a hegemonic state could commit genocide against an ethnic community behind the cloak of democracy.
Mullivaikkal is an extremely important event to remind the world at large about the genocide committed against the Tamil people and the fact that we are still awaiting justice. Level of attendance at “Mullivaikkal” events across the world is used as a barometer by governments of those countries, to measure the depth of yearning for justice.
Therefore, it is absolutely essential that those who value justice and freedom attend these events
The Mullivaikkal 9th Annual commemoration day will be conducted under the coordination of the British Tamils Forum on Friday 18th of May 2018 as usual in Central London at Reformer’s Tree (W2 2EU) evening from 4.30pm till 7.00pm and concluded with a commemoration meeting. (Closest underground station- Marble Arch)
We shall gather together to pledge to seek justice for the Genocide, call for international investigation, Change the structures to prevent reoccurrence.
-The End-
Best Wishes
Sangeeth
BTF Media Coordinator
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