Sri Lanka marked its 77th ‘Independence Day’ with yet another military parade in Colombo, featuring a reduced but still significant presence of military personnel and 25-gun salute at sea. 

While the government celebrated the day with pomp and ceremony, Tamils across the North-East and the diaspora observed the occasion as a "black day," raising black flags in protest against decades of oppression and atrocities perpetrated by the Sri Lankan state.

Tamils protested against Sri Lanka's 77th Independence Day outside Sri Lanka's embassy in Canberra, Australia today.

The day is regarded as a 'Black Day' for Eelam Tamils who have been oppressed by the Sinhala Buddhist state since Sri Lanka gained independence from British rule on February 4, 1948. 

As Tamils across their homelands held protests marking Sri Lanka's 77th Independence Day today as a Black Day, students at the University of Jaffna replaced the Sri Lankan lion flag that usually flies at the entrance with a black flag.