A large rally was held in Kilinochchi today to declare Sri Lanka’s Independence Day as a “Black Day” for the Tamil people, highlighting longstanding grievances in the North and East.
The march, which began at the Kandaswamy Temple premises in Kilinochchi, proceeded to the Depot Junction before concluding with a Black Day declaration by a collective of civil society organisations.
Protesters called attention to what they described as continued oppression in the Tamil homeland of the North and East, demanding the release of political prisoners, justice for families of the forcibly disappeared, and an international investigation into alleged human rights violations.
The demonstration was organised jointly by civil society groups from the North and East, associations representing families of the disappeared, and other Tamil civil organisations.
Participants carried placards and chanted slogans including “The North and East are the Tamil homeland,” “We demand an international investigation,” and “Sri Lanka’s Independence Day is a Black Day for Tamils.”
Several political representatives were present at the rally, including Members of Parliament S. Sridharan and Durai Raveendran, along with former MPs, representatives of political parties, civil activists, university students, families of the disappeared, and Tamil nationalist groups.(Newswire)
