Facebook icon
Twitter icon
e-mail icon

People in Jaffna have 'blood of the forces' – SL Military

After blocking off attempts by the local Tamil population in Jaffna to donate blood earlier this week, the Sri Lankan military dismissed any criticism of its actions, declaring that no organisation had given more blood to Jaffna than the armed forces.

Responding to questions from journalists in the North, Military Spokesman Brigadier Ruwan Wanigasooriya stated that the Sri Lankan troops had donated more blood than any other organisation in Jaffna, challenging anyone who had done more to come forward.

Earlier this week the military had blocked off access to the Jaffna blood donation centre, in an attempt to stop people donating blood in remembrance of those massacred at Mullaivaikkal.

The Island also reported that Wanigasooriya was “proud” and went on to state,

“Some people living in Jaffna had blood of the forces, a smiling Brigadier said.”

Another senior military figure, Major General Hathurusinghe had stated earlier this year,

“Our blood is in the majority of the Tamils that live here, therefore Tamils cannot call themselves pure Tamils anymore. Our army’s Sinhalese blood is in Tamils. We have done so much for them that we have given our blood to them”.

We need your support

Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.

Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view

We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.

For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.