Tamils across the North-East marked the first day of Mullivaikkal Remembrance Week with a series of events earlier today, as they commemorated the tens of thousands of Tamils killed by the Sri Lankan state 12 years ago.

The Tamil National People’s Front held events at their offices in Jaffna and Batticaloa, as remembrance events and commemorations are set to take place around the globe to pay tribute to those who were massacred.

Several bright Tamil students from Mullaitivu and Mannar districts were celebrated after A-level examination results were released last week. Despite  various challenges brought by the coronavirus pandemic, including the intensifying militarisation in the North-East regions of the island, the successes of these students became a great cause for celebration. 

Mullaitivu district

A Pirith chanting ceremony, a Buddhist religious ritual, is currently underway in Kurunthoormalai, Mullaitivu, violating COVID-19 restrictions in place on the island. Hundreds of armed personnel have been stationed at the site as the event is being held under the supervision of Sri Lankan security forces. 

The Archaeological Department and Sinhala-Buddhist monks are also in attendance at the ritual. 

Last week, Sri Lankan MP Dilum Amunugama, who publicly called for the President to act like ‘Hitler’, was sworn in as the State Minister of Community Police Services at the Presidential Secretariat. 

Amidst a rise in the number of COVID-19 cases in Sri Lanka, the bed capacity in the isolation ward of Jaffna Teaching Hospital is reported to have been exhausted. 

All four emergency beds and 11 beds for other COVID-19 patients available in the ward were occupied by Wednesday. 

All patients currently receiving treatment at the hospital are under 50 years of age. 

Sri Lanka’s Foreign Ministry has issued a statement condemning the passage of Bill 104 in Ontario, also known as the “Tamil Genocide Education Week” bill, claiming it was based on a flawed premise, unfounded assumptions and blatant lies.

The passage of the bill recognises Sri Lanka’s genocide against Tamils and establishes May 11 to 18 as a week in which Ontarians “are encouraged to educate themselves about, and to maintain their awareness of, the Tamil genocide and other genocides that have occurred in world history.”

A Tamil student from Neduntheevu, Jaffna was seriously injured and hospitalised after being hit by a Sri Lankan navy tank, last month. 

15-year-old student Kavipriyan was admitted to Jaffna Teaching Hospital following the incident. 

The accident occured on April 24th but the police have still not arrested the tank driver. The student's family said that the police investigation was not carried out properly, citing the lack of arrest and disappearance of Kavipriyan’s motorcycle as evidence of misconduct. 

However the police have claimed the motorcycle was taken to the station following the accident.

Photo of Scarborough-Rouge Park MPP Vijay Thanigasalam

Ontario has passed Bill 104, the Tamil Genocide Education Week Act, recognising the genocide against Tamils in Sri Lanka and establishing May 11 to 18 as a week in which Ontarians “are encouraged to educate themselves about, and to maintain their awareness of, the Tamil genocide and other genocides that have occurred in world history.”

Sri Lanka’s Wildlife Conservation Department has announced that all tourist attractions that it operates, including parks, campsites, and tourist bungalows, will be closed as Sri Lanka continues to struggle with its rapidly rising COVID infection rate.

Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian Sivagnanam Shritharan has demanded that the Sri Lankan government grant permission for the Tamils to commemorate those who perished in the Mullivaikkal genocide. 

Speaking to the press last Friday, Shritharan said, “The government must grant permission to commemorate May 18, the Mullivaikal massacre day, a day in which Tamil people remember by shedding tears those who lived amongst us and died.”