Human rights violations continue to occur in the Tamil North-East with militarisation by Sri Lankan troops at its peak said co-spokesperson of the Tamil Civil Society Forum Father Elil Rajendram.

In an interview with Taylor Dibbert, Father Rajendram said that since Sri Lanka's new government came into power in January 2015, “Tamils speak about the “non-transition transition” while the Sinhalese people residing in the Sinhala-majority South claim it is a real transition”.

“Why I state that it is a non-transition transition is because militarization is at its peak,” he said.

“Abductions, arbitrary arrests and sexual violence perpetrated by the military have not decreased. Military involvement in the North and East is still strong. Most military camps have become permanent and Sinhala colonization is actually on the rise. Buddhist statues continue to be built in these locations.”

“However, as most human rights activists have noted, more space for public dissent is available now,” the spokesperson added.

Speaking on longer term issues Father Rajendram added that there is “institutionalized discrimination and injustice against Tamils in Sri Lanka”. “This injustice is embedded in Sri Lanka’s constitution” he said.

He also spoke of institutionalised racism in Sri Lanka's judiciary, stating that “for nearly 70 years, Tamils have not seen real justice via the county’s judiciary system... We feel that the system is very biased and favors the majority Sinhalese community”.

Thus, when it comes to questions of accountability for mass atrocities “only an international inquiry or international accountability mechanism can ensure that the Tamil community sees justice,” he said.

“The international community could help with that.”

See the full interview here.