Canadian leaders join Tamils in remembering victims of Black July of 1983
Ottawa, July 23, 2013 – The Honourable Jason Kenney issued the following statement commemorating the anti-Tamil pogrom commonly known as Black July:
Big Story | By newsadmin-Tue, Jul 23rd, 2013
TORONTO: Standing by the Canadian Tamil community, Canadian political leaders on Sunday paid tributes to the victims of Black July 30 years ago.
Among the Tamils around the world, July of 1983 is remembered as Black July in memory of hundreds and hundreds of Tamils who were massacred and their properties destroyed in week-long attacks by Sinhalese mobs in revenge for the killing of 13 soldiers by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. That was the beginning of the ethnic war in Sri Lanka triggered by the denial of rights to the Tamil minority.
Remembering the victims of the 1983 anti-Tamil riots, the Canadian Tamil Congress said, “Between July 24 and 29 of that year, Tamils were systematically targeted with violence in Colombo and many other parts of the island. During this period, an estimated 3,000 Tamils were killed and thousands of Tamil homes and businesses were destroyed. More than one million Tamils have fled Sri Lanka since July 1983 fearing for their safety, while over a million more Tamils have been internally displaced within the island. ”
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Ottawa, July 23, 2013 – The Honourable Jason Kenney issued the following statement commemorating the anti-Tamil pogrom commonly known as Black July:
“Thirty years ago today in Sri Lanka, violent mobs of armed extremists began carrying out attacks against the country’s Tamil population. Hundreds of Tamils were killed and thousands of homes and businesses were destroyed in the ensuing riots.
“In the years since the Black July pogrom, July 23 has become a day of mourning and remembrance for members of Sri Lankan Tamil communities around the world, including the 200,000-strong Tamil community in Canada.
“As we reflect on the violence that began on this day in 1983 across Sri Lanka, I take the opportunity to reaffirm Canada’s commitment to promote and uphold our fundamental values of freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law.
“I stand with the Tamil-Canadian community in commemorating the senseless destruction and tragic loss of life during Black July.”
