Tamils remember massacred civilians at Mullivaikkaal beach
18 May 2017
Members of the Tamil community in Mullathivu gathered at the Mullivaikkaal beach this morning to commemorate the thousands of Tamil civilians that died at the final stages of the armed conflict between the Sri Lankan armed forces and Liberation Tamil Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
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Mullivaikkaal beach was the last government designated 'No Fire Zone' that saw thousands of Tamil civilians shelled by Sri Lanka's state forces The event was attended by religious leaders from the local community and inaugurated by the Chief Minister of the Northern Provincial Council and the leader of the Tamil National Alliance R Sampanthan. Senior members of the TNA including MA Sumanthiran and Maavai Senanthirajah were also present.
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During the speeches, a member of the public questioned a previous statement made by the TNA leader in parliament labelling members of the Tamil militant struggle terrorists. The question sparked outrage amongst the crowd who called for the politicians to stop speaking, noting that the leader of the TNA seldom appeared at remembrance events.
The event continued with a flame that was lit to commemorate massacred civilians with family members placing flowers in their memory.
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Military personnell and plain clothed CID officers were seen present at the perimeters of the event.
