Marking Sri Lanka’s 75th Independence Day, Eelam Tamils in Australia launched a mass protest in front of the Sri Lankan Embassy in Canberra and continued their demands for accountability for the genocide Tamils suffered and the recognition of Eelam Tamil’s right to self-determination.
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The protests were organised by the Tamil Refugee Council and drew Tamils from Sydney and Melbourne.
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The protests in Australia are in solidarity with protests across the North and East of Sri Lanka, where Eelam Tamils have rejected the island’s Independence Day and raised black flags in defiance of the Sri Lankan state. In Jaffna, TNPF leader Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam led a demonstration rejecting Sri Lanka’s unitary state and the 13th amendment. Demonstrations in the Tamil homeland have been met with harassment and surveillance from state operatives.
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Speaking at the rally in Australia, one demonstrator described Sri Lanka’s Independence Day as a “black day for Eelam Tamils” and detailed the genocide Tamils suffered during the armed conflict.
“Eelam Tamils will protest Sri Lanka’s ongoing crimes. This is not a day to celebrate. Independence marks the date that one colonial oppressor handed power to another,” Tamil Refugee Council spokesperson Renuga Inpakumar said.
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During the peaceful protests, there was an attempt to break up the protests by Sinhala men who tried to intimidate the demonstrators by taking photos of them and then without evidence alleging assault.
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Despite the harassment, Tamil protesters maintained that they would “not be silenced” and vowed to continue to fight until Eelam Tamils achieve self-determination and justice.
