![]() This sort of action clearly indicates suppression of voices critical of Tamil oppression, and it furthermore depicts the fascist tactics of silencing opinions that do not align with the government narrative. This can be observed through the continued police and military occupation of approximately 3,000 acres, according to the Sinhalese government.Īnd with the continued police and military presence in predominantly Tamil areas, instances of police brutality haven't deescalated post-the national liberation struggle, but have rather escalated with the recent election of president Gotabaya Rajapaksa.Ī recent instance of police brutality was the arrest, detainment and interrogation of the mayor of Jaffna, Viswalingam Manivannan, by the counterterrorist investigation division. ![]() Sri Lanka still remains a dangerous place for Tamil people due to the active repression of Tamil citizens. However, as the Tamil Refugee Council explains the attempted genocide continues.Ĭharanja ,what is the situation like for Tamils on the ground in Sri Lanka today? Firstly, the decades-long Sri Lankan civil war between the majority Sinhalese government and the Eelam Tamils in the north of the country came to an end in 2009. Sydney Criminal Lawyers spoke to Tamil Refugee Council spokesperson Charanja Thavendran about the alleged war criminals running the Sri Lankan government, why our government's treatment of Tamils is problematic, as well as what's to be expected at the genocide day rallies. ![]() And TRC is about to hold Tamil Genocide Day rallies in both Sydney and Melbourne on 16 May. The Tamil Refugee Council is an Australia-based grassroots organisation advocating for the rights of Tamil refugees in Australia and throughout Asia. The local Tamil Refugee Council (TRC) criticised the move, maintaining that Colombo will simply be utilising Canberra's machinery to further oppress the Tamil population. Last month, the Morrison government gifted four aerial drones to the Sri Lankan police for the purpose of “crime fighting”. And in mid-2014, as immigration minister, the PM oversaw the detainment of 157 Tamil refugees at sea for four weeks, prior to sending them to Nauru. Right now, Morrison has a Tamil family of four – including their two Australian-born daughters – in long-term detention on Christmas Island. On return, the current PM announced that if elected, a Coalition government would instate a policy of turning back boats carrying Tamil asylum seekers from Sri Lanka. In early 2013, then shadow immigration minister Scott Morrison paid a visit to Sri Lanka to discuss the refugee situation. In February this year, the Tamil and Muslim communities of Sri Lanka united to hold the Pottuvil to Polikandy (P2P) rally, which was a five day demonstration calling on the international community to step in and protect their rights. Indeed, as of late 2019, the ministers who oversaw the massacre are back in power. The civil war in Sri Lanka may have ended more than a decade ago, however the extreme repressions Tamils face and the militarisation of their homelands continues to this day. These days, the conservative estimate is Sri Lankan forces murdered 70,000 Tamils civilians, as they moved in on the populations the government promised to save, during what's now known as the Mullivaikkal massacre, which ended in May 2009. Colombo went on to tell Tamils to enter a no-fly zone it established on a thin strip of land bordered by the sea in Mullivaikkal, and it would guarantee their lives. Then it happened, Sri Lankan forces took Kilinochchi in January 2009 and proceeded to blatantly kill, maim and rape Tamil civilians. As they left, Tamils pleaded with them to stay, as they'd be slaughtered without witnesses. Colombo warned the handful of UN staff still in Kilinochchi to evacuate, as it couldn't guarantee their safety. However, in 2008, the Sri Lankan military launched one final offensive upon LTTE held areas. And peace process negotiations had been taking place over 2002 to 2006. The LTTE had been fighting against the Sri Lankan government – which serves the interests of the Sinhalese majority – in an attempt to see the formation of an independent state, known as Tamil Eelam. And the town of Kilinochchi was its capital. Towards the end of the decades-long Sri Lankan civil war, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) had effectively formed a functioning military state, with its own infrastructure, in the northern Tamil majority region of the island.
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