Members of the Tamil community organized an event at Albert Campbell Square in Toronto and at Van horn Parc in Montreal to commemorate the 9th year anniversary since tens of thousands of Tamils were killed in Mullivaikkal on Friday.
Hundreds of Tamils came together in Toronto to remember the genocide with keynote speakers, Dharsha Jegatheeswaran, Research Director at the Adayaalam Centre for Policy Research and Nirmanusan Balasundaram, ajournalist and human rights activist.
Other speakers included Toronto Mayor-John Tory, Ontario Minister Mitzie Hunter, City Councillor Neethan Shan and Member of Parliament Gary Anandasangaree who delivered speeches at the event. There were also song and dance performances to commemorate the genocide. The event concluded with the Tamil community holding candle lights as the sun set and taking an oath to continue the struggle for liberation of the homeland from Sri Lankan state oppression.
Photographs: Outshine Photography
The next day, the National Council of Canadian Tamils organized a blood donation drive in memory of those killed.
In Montreal, hundreds gathered to lay flowers before a makeshift memorial at Van horn Parc.
Tens of thousands of Tamil civilians lost their lives and countless others were injured and hurt in May 2009 alone.
A member of the Tamil Youth Organisation in Canada told the Tamil Guardian,
“After nine years the tragedy continues back home and brings us painful memories all around the world. The Sri Lankan government is acquiring Tamil peoples’ lands to colonize it with majority Sinhalese settlements and continues to employ widespread terror tactics; including forced disappearances, torture and rape on Tamils. Let us not forget that what happened to the Tamils back home was a well planned systematic genocide by the Sri Lankan government.”
“Let us rise together, put those responsible for this systematic genocide to justice and continue the struggle for a free Tamil Eelam.”
