Former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa slammed attempts to sing the ‘Sri Lankan national anthem’ in Tamil, stating that it was part of an attempt to appease the Indian government.

Mr Rajapaksa added that he would be boycotting the ‘Independence Day’ commemorations in Colombo, alongside members of the joint opposition.

The former president was joined by the chief Buddhist monk of the Malwatte Chapter, who also spoke out against singing the song in Tamil.

Black flags were hoisted at Jaffna University to mark Sri Lankan Independence Day today, as a symbol of protest against the ongoing repression in the Tamil homeland.

Tamil families of the disappeared held a protest in Mullaitivu to mark Sri Lanka’s independence day.

Photograph: Tamil Guardian

Marching from the Mullaitivu people’s bank to the Mullaitivu district secretariat, the protestors chanted slogans condemning the island’s celebration of independence day whilst Tamils were yet to obtain their freedom.

As part of protests that took place across the Tamil North-East to coincide with Sri Lanka’s Independence Day, families of the disappeared in Batticaloa took to the streets demanding answers from the Sri Lankan state.
 
Banners questioned which communities actually experienced freedom in Sri Lanka.

The singing of Sri Lanka’s national anthem in Tamil confirms the hierarchical relationship of Sinhala Buddhists and other communities on the island said the Tamil Civil Society Forum (TCSF) spokesperson.

 Guruparan Kumaravadivel questioned whether the singing of Sri Lanka’s national anthem in Tamil could be marked as progress in comments given to Ceylonews.

Speaking to the news outlet, the spokesperson said,

Tamil villagers in Mannar staged a demonstration calling for the Sri Lankan government to account for the massive number of people who have disappeared across the North-East.

Holding the protest alongside other demonstrations in the North-East, relatives of the disappeared said the Sri Lankan government must give them answers to account for their loved ones.