Marking the 3,036th day of their continuous protest, the Association of Families of the Disappeared in Vavuniya issued a scathing condemnation of Tamil political leadership, accusing them of lacking vision, courage, and a strategy for securing justice for the Tamil people.
During a demonstration this week, Tamil mothers whose children were forcibly disappeared during and after the final stages of the armed conflict, declared, “Tamil politicians have no vision beyond holding on to their positions.”
Their statement reflected growing frustration over the perceived failure of Tamil political representatives to meaningfully engage the international community or pursue a long-term solution to address Tamil grievances.
The association reiterated that their demands go beyond simply locating their missing loved ones. “We also call on the international community to protect future generations from genocide, to support Tamil self-determination, and to ensure that the promises once made by the United States and European Union are fulfilled,” they stated.
The families recalled that the European Union, during the conflict, had repeatedly stressed the need for a political solution and pledged to support one. “Yet, no such solution has materialised to this day — only continued suffering and grief,” the statement added.
They further denounced the current state of the Tamil homeland, declaring, “Today, instead of peace, the North and East remain under military occupation. Intelligence agencies dominate civilian life, while state-linked drug networks and sexual exploitation threaten Tamil youth and women.”
The association was particularly critical of Tamil political parties, whom they accused of refusing to learn from other oppressed nations that achieved sovereignty through strategic international engagement. “They have failed to hold the European Union accountable or remind the international community of the betrayal faced by the Tamil people after the conflict,” they said.
In closing, the association called on Tamils across the homeland and the diaspora to unite and demand international intervention. They insisted that Tamil sovereignty remains the only viable path to peace and justice — not only for Tamils, but for all peoples on the island.
