16th Anniversary of the Tamil Genocide by Sri Lankan State / Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day

May 18, 2025 marks the 16th year of the Tamil Genocide at Mullivaikkal in North-East Sri Lanka by the Sri Lankan state

WASHINGTON , MD, UNITED STATES, May 19, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- May 18, 2025 marks the 16th year since Sri Lanka’s military assault against Tamil civilians in their homeland in the North-East of Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan military’s campaign was among the first genocides of the twenty-first century and used methods such as humanitarian blockades and the intentional targeting of civilians in so called ‘No Fire Zones’, which were used as ‘kill-boxes’.

The UN estimates that 70,000 people were killed in the final months of the war, whilst available census data, as highlighted by Bishop Rayappu Joseph, indicates that 146, 679 people who were present in the Vanni before the campaign, were missing afterwards. International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP)’s estimate of approximately 169,796 deaths suggests the real numbers may be significantly higher. A Tamil Genocide Monument, that has been inaugurated in Brampton a few days ago, will serve as a stark reminder to the world and also as a place to commemorate and memorialize the genocide. Also House Resolution 1230 has been introduced in US House of Representatives last year recognizing the Tamil Genocide and supporting the right to self-determination of Eelam Tamil people.

"In the sixteen years since the end of the genocidal war there has been no accountability whatsoever despite the enormity of the crimes. Sri Lanka has demonstrated its complete unwillingness to provide justice and accountability through domestic mechanisms. Several resolutions on Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and the collection of quantities of evidence by various bodies, including the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights' Sri Lanka Accountability Project (OSLAP), must now lead to urgent action by member states to stop impunity for the international crimes committed against the Tamil community on the island and to provide redress for the victims." said Katpana Nagendra, Spokesperson of Tamil Rights Group, Canada.

Krish Illungkoo, President of Australian Tamil Congress. said, "Giving urgency to international efforts to end impunity is necessitated since many of those involved in serious crimes continue to exercise power in Sri Lanka, and military, government and religious bodies continue their work to destroy the basis for Tamil existence on the island, including by changing the demography of the Tamil Homeland. Impunity also encourages other states to commit crimes against humanity and genocide against unwanted populations.".

The mothers and families of the forcibly disappeared and victims of genocide are in their 9th year of continuous vigil and fast for their loved ones. "We in the Global Tamil Diaspora stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters and their grieving families in the Tamil Homeland and will not rest until justice is attained for serious crimes under international law against the Tamil people", said Dr. Madura Rasaratnam, Executive Director of People for Equality And Relief in Lanka. " It is time the international community enables the Tamil people to decide their own destiny so that the Tamil people are never ever subjected to genocide again."

For more information, please contact:
Organizations which endorse this Press Release:
1. Australian Tamil Congress, Australia; chairperson@australiantamilcongress.com
2. Federation of Tamil Sangams of North America (FeTNA), USA; contact@fetna.org
3. Ilankai Tamil Sangam, USA; president@sangam.org
4. Maison du Tamil Eelam, France; mte.france@gmail.com
5. National Council of New Zealand Tamils: New Zealand; ncnzt@live.com
6. People for Equality And Relief in Lanka; contact@pearlaction.org
7. Tamil Americans United PAC, USA; info@tamilamericansunited.com
8. Tamil Rights Group, Canada; info@tamilrightsgroup.org
9. United States Tamil Action Group, USA; info@theustag.org
10. World Thamil Organization, USA; wtogroup@gmail.com

Tamil Diaspora Organizations
United States Tamil Action Group (USTAG)
info@theustag.org
Visit us on social media:
Instagram
Facebook
YouTube
TikTok
X
Other

Sri Lanka's Killing Fields: A hard-hitting investigation into final weeks of Sri Lankan civil war, featuring devastating video evidence of horrific war crimes