New Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has issued a formal statement marking “Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day”, honouring the lives lost during the final stages of Sri Lanka’s civil war, while calling for international accountability and lasting peace.
The statement, released by the Prime Minister’s Office, comes as this year marks 16 years since the end of the armed conflict in Sri Lanka, which lasted over two decades and claimed tens of thousands of civilian lives. Carney described the war as one that “tore families apart” and left “many still missing to this day.”
“We remember the lives lost — the families torn apart, the communities devastated,” the Prime Minister said, while also acknowledging Canada’s Tamil community and the many remembrance events planned across the country.
Carney reiterated Canada’s support for “independent international efforts to seek accountability and push for truth and justice.”
However, the Sri Lankan government has consistently rejected the use of the term “Tamil Genocide”, maintaining that no such genocide took place during the conflict. (Newswire)
