Along with Tamil university societies and associations in the UK and Canada, a worldwide coalition of Tamil youth - the Global Tamil Youth League (T-League), condemned the attacks on Jaffna university students in a statement released on Thursday.

"The Global Tamil Youth League (T-League) strongly condemns this act of violence against the Jaffna University student’s freedom to protest and demonstrate, as well as their right to freely commemorate Tamil Remembrance Day. As fellow students and youth, we support and stand with our brothers and sisters in Jaffna in demanding that their rights be respected and their safety is ensured and accounted for. This attack follows other similar attacks by the Sri Lankan Military including the attack on Paramalingam Tharsananth, the Student Union Secretary of Jaffna University during the May Massacre Remembrance event, and the recent Trincomalee attack against students at the Eastern University of Sri Lanka."

A Sri Lanka Army officer, who fled to Canada, has revealed instances of Sri Lankan army abuse that occurred during Sri Lanka’s war against Tamils, reported the Canada's National Post.

Captain Ravindra Watundra Bandanage, left Sri Lanka in October 2009 and claimed asylum in Canada.

Three Tamil women who were part of the 109 recently paraded recruits into the Sri Lankan military have alleged they faced regular sexual assault by the Sinhalese soldiers, reported TamilCNN.

The three escaped from the military base, and described being forced into training from 4am till 10pm at night. Many other Tamil women also tried to escape, however they were caught, and have been locked up, accordng to the three escapees.

Photograph Uthayan

Teachers at the University of Jaffna, held a protest on Friday, to exhibit their solidarity with the students of the university, who were attacked by the Sri Lankan security forces for trying to commemorate Maaveerar Naal.

British Tamil students marked Maaveerar Naal at the university of Leicester on Wednesday. Lighting a lamp of sacrifice, and laying Gloriosa lillies, students remembered those who had given their lives to the struggle for Tamil Eelam.

The Embassy of the United States in Colombo has released a statement, expressing concern about recent acts of violence by government officials, including the attacks on Tamil students and the beating of a reporter on November 28.

The students were attacked during a demonstration against military harassment of Tamil youths commemorating the Tamil National Remembrance Day.

The US has called upon Sri Lankan authorities to “exercise restraint and respect peaceful demonstrations”.

Speaking to the press on the Sri Lankan military's and Sri Lankan police's attacks on Tamil university students, TNA MP Saravanbhavan said that what he saw was exactly what happened 30 years ago.

Stating that the Sri Lankan security forces inherently viewed Tamil university students as the enemy, Saravanabhavan said,

"The government should realise that so long as the army and the security forces view the Tamil people and especially the Tamil students as the enemy, reconciliation will not happen."

Speaking in the Australian senate on Tuesday, the senator for New South Wales, Lee Rhiannon, recalled her past experience of attending a remembrance event with the Tamil community on 27th November, and stressed that she stood by the Tamil people on this very important day.

See here for full address, excerpt follows:

"For Tamils all around the world, including in Sri Lanka, 27 November marks a very important and hauntingly sad day. In Tamil the day is known as Maaveerar Naal. Veerar means 'warrior' or 'hero'; Maa means 'great'; and Naal means 'day'. It is a day on which millions of Tamils will remember the hundreds and thousands of brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, children and the elderly who sacrificed their life in the 26-year-long struggle for their freedom.

Last year on this day I joined around 2,000 Tamils in Sydney's west to pay respect to the courage, strength and sacrifice of the Tamil people. The overwhelming distress and pain of the Tamil community as they stood in line to lay down a flower in respect for the fallen was a piercing emotional experience for me. I am in parliament today so I will not be able to join the community, but I still stand beside them as their friend on this significant day.