Photo reproduced from Tamilwin - Families of the Disappeared protest in Vavuniya
The families of the disappeared staged protests in Vavuniya and Kilinochchi last week, seeking justice from the international community.
Photo reproduced from Tamilnet - Families of the Disappeared protest in Vavuniya
The protests – which observed safe health and social distancing measures – took place near the old bus stand in Vavuniya and in front of the Families of the Disappeared office in Kilinochchi.
The families held placards and shouted slogans at the protest in Vavuniya. The placards read; “Where are our children?”, “Where are the students that went to school?” and “We want an international investigation.”
Photo reproduced from Virakesari - Families of the Disappeared protest in Kilinochchi
“We are waiting in the streets to see when and who will get justice for us,” said Yogarasa Kanagaranjani - the head of the Association of the Families of the Disappeared in the North-East – at the Killinochchi protest. “We want to say that our struggle will continue until justice is given to us.”
Kanagaranjani added, “We hope that those in the international community will speak for us. Although we made efforts to meet the visiting US Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Mike Pompeo, we were unable to meet him due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. However, we have sent him a request for our justice.
We hope that accept that request and deliver justice for us.”
This protests were held just a few days after American Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on an official visit. Ahead of his arrival, the families carried out a demonstration urging the US official to push into the whereabouts of their disappeared loved ones
“We request Secretary Pompeo to help us find the disappeared members of our family," relatives told journalists. “During the ethnic war that took place in the Vanni region, over 25,000 Tamils were disappeared," they added.
They insisted they would undergo a fast to protest the Sri Lanka government’s continuing failure to give answers for their missing loved ones. “For the 1347th day, we are protesting by taking meals only once a day. We will continue our hunger strike until our missing children are found. Sri Lanka has not met our request to bring back our children from detention centres and other hiding areas.”
