A flame was lit at the banks of Nandikadal lagoon on Wednesday to mark the first day of Mullivaikkal remembrance week. 

Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) youth wing leader Peter IIlancheliyan lit the flame amidst heightened Sri Lankan security force presence. 

The North-East Bishops' Council has called on the Tamil community to mark May 18th, also known as Tamil Genocide Day, as a "day of remembrance and prayer." 

"The survivors and witnesses of the last phase of war and the preceding decades, mourn over their departed, who without paying the last rights hurriedly buried their loved ones. The Day dedicated prompts that the victims have the right to remembrance," the Council wrote in a statement. 

See the full statement below:

More than 30 Tamils in Vavuniya were arrested for allegedly not wearing masks with court cases already filed by Vavuniya police against them. 

The Sri Lanka Police Special Task Force officially launched the “Special Waterborne Operation Squad” on Sunday to curb illegal activities on the island’s water and reservoirs, as militarisation on the island intensifies. 

The special unit is tasked with managing drug trafficking, smuggling of goods, sand, timber smuggling, illegal gem mining and illegal liquor smuggling. 

During the 39^th session of Nattan’s municipal council, members paid tribute to those who lost their lives during the Mullivaikkal massacre

Led by the council’s chairman, Tiruch Selvam Paranjothi, members lit a flame and paid a silent two-minute tribute to the estimated tens of thousands killed during the final weeks of the armed struggle.

The Sri Lankan army vandalised the Mullivaikkal memorial monument located in Mullivaikkal East earlier today, just hours after the security forces blocked Tamils from erecting a memorial stone at the site where tens of thousands were massacred 12 years ago.

Ontario’s legislature has given royal assent to Bill 104, bringing into effect Tamil Genocide Education Week, which establishes May 12-18^th as a week in which Ontarians “are encouraged to educate themselves about, and to maintain their awareness of, the Tamil genocide and other genocides that have occurred in world history.”

Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, Elizabeth Dowdeswell, signed the Royal Assent officially bringing the bill into effect.

A memorial stone was brought to Mullivaikkal this evening by the public committee organising Tamil genocide remembrance events, but the committee was blocked from erecting the stone at the intended place by Sri Lankan army and police.

Tamils across the North-East marked the first day of Mullivaikkal Remembrance Week with a series of events earlier today, as they commemorated the tens of thousands of Tamils killed by the Sri Lankan state 12 years ago.

The Tamil National People’s Front held events at their offices in Jaffna and Batticaloa, as remembrance events and commemorations are set to take place around the globe to pay tribute to those who were massacred.

Several bright Tamil students from Mullaitivu and Mannar districts were celebrated after A-level examination results were released last week. Despite  various challenges brought by the coronavirus pandemic, including the intensifying militarisation in the North-East regions of the island, the successes of these students became a great cause for celebration. 

Mullaitivu district