Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day (May 18) commemoration in Ottawa

Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day at Parliament Hill lawn in Ottawa on May 18, 2022, at 4:30 PM.

OTTAWA, ON, CANADA, May 18, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- A statement released by the Tamil Canadian Organisations said: Ottawa Tamil Association (OTA) jointly with Tamil Genocide Memorial (TGM), Quebec Tamil Development Association (QTDA), Carleton University Tamil Students Association (CUTSA), Ottawa Tamil Seniors Association (OTSA), Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE), University Of Ottawa Tamil Student Union (TSU),Tamil Canadian Centre for Civic Action (TCCCA), ABC Tamil Oli (an NGO with consultative status under the UN’s ECOSOCEconomic and Social Council), and the National Council of Canadian Tamils (NCCT) commemorate Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day at Parliament Hill lawn in Ottawa on May 18, 2022, at 4:30 PM. A ceremony of holding a lamp, as a symbol of Tamil resilience, will take place at 18:18:18 to mark the #TamilGenocideRememberanceDay. Members of Parliament, human rights leaders, and community leaders were invited to participate.

“Thirteen years have passed, and no tangible action has been forthcoming from the international community nor the UN but for the suggestion of installing a hybrid court with foreign judges. The hybrid court was agreed in 2015 and is still to be implemented,” said OTA.

“The “Tamil Genocide Education Week Act” passed by the government of Ontario, proclaims the seven-day period in each year ending on May 18 as Tamil Genocide Education Week. This acknowledgment not only seeks to honour the lives that were lost with the Tamil Genocide, but also gives a sense of hope to those who have suffered life-long intergenerational trauma and represents the first step to healing and reconciliation. By recognizing the Tamil Genocide, we affirm our collective desire to maintain awareness of this genocide and other genocides to prevent such crimes from happening again.” NCCT said.

“To pay tribute to the thousands of fellow Tamils who were victims of genocide by the State of Sri Lanka which persistently denies committing the atrocity, to bring an end to the perpetration of this ultimate crime, to prevent its recurrence, and to tell our future generations and the world the price we have paid in the pursuit of our freedom from oppression, we have planned to erect an eloquent memorial that transcends verbal description.” Tamil Genocide Monument stated https://tamilgenocidememorial.org/about/. The Brampton Tamil Association (BTA), jointly with Tamil Canadian organizations, started the process of building the Tamil Genocide Monument in Brampton.

In 2010, the Ottawa Tamil community held the Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day, where it was stated that the Tamil diaspora worldwide would remember the genocide of the Tamils for generations to come.

In February 2015, the Northern Provincial Council in Sri Lanka passed a resolution that demanded a UN inquiry to investigate the genocide of the Tamil people by successive Sri Lankan governments.

In May 2018, the Second International Conference on Tamil Nationhood and genocide in Sri Lanka was hosted in Ottawa by Canadian Tamil organizations. A resolution released at the end of the conference resolved that only an independent international investigation into the charge of genocide can be acceptable.

“While the international community continues to delay and deny justice for the mass atrocities and acts of genocide committed by the Sri Lankan state, it continues to silence and suppress Tamil diaspora voices through a criminal counter-terrorism lens by extending the listing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) as a terrorist organization. This continuous listing, one that has persisted for over a decade since the end of the war in 2009, undermines and infringes upon the fundamental civil liberties of Tamils in the diaspora communities. Delisting the LTTE as a terrorist organization is a key to protecting Tamil civil liberties, including the right to advocate for Eelam Tamils' right to self-determination under international law.” TGM said.

"Sri Lanka’s occupation of the Tamil homeland has led to the continuation of human rights violations against Tamil civilians. Sri Lankan armed forces’ intimidation and surveillance of Tamil journalists and activists are rampant. Cemeteries of Tamil war heroes have been destroyed and commemoration events are impeded. The Sri Lankan government simultaneously builds Buddhist stupas in the Tamil homeland as part of its cultural genocide of the Tamil nation. Furthermore, the Sri Lankan military and navy obstruct income-producing industries such as agriculture and fisheries, further eroding the economy of the Tamil community." OTA further said.

In 2022, Tamil families of the disappeared are not protesting because of Sri Lanka’s economic collapse but to find the whereabouts of their missing loved ones. Last week, Ms. Selvarani passed away, becoming one of over 115 Tamils to have died while protesting for their forcibly disappeared family members, with no answers, and no justice. Ms. Selvarani protested for over five years on the roadside. She wanted only answers.

“We urge the Canadian government to refer the matter to the International Court of Justice under the Convention on Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.”. “ In order to set the discourse in the right direction, we would like to state the following: the UN Panel of Experts appointed by the then Secretary-General Ban-Ki Moon identified the following serious violations committed by the Government of Sri Lanka: (i) ​Killing of civilians through widespread shelling, (ii) ​Shelling of hospitals and humanitarian objects, (iii)​ Denial of humanitarian assistance The above corresponds to Article II (a), (b), and (c) of the genocide convention,” TGTE stated.

Canadian Tamil organizations jointly urge the international community to work towards a broader recognition of the Tamil Genocide and play an active role in bringing the Sri Lankan government and its officials to the International Court to dispense justice to the Eelam Tamil community.

Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day event held jointly with:
Ottawa Tamil Association (OTA) - https://ottawatamilassociation.ca/
Brampton Tamil Association (BTA) - https://www.bramptontamil.com/
Tamil Genocide Memorial (TGM) - https://tamilgenocide.com/
Quebec Tamil Development Association (QTDA)
Carleton University Tamil Students Association (CUTSA)
Ottawa Tamil Seniors Association (OTSA) - http://www.ottawatamilseniors.com/
Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) - http://tgte.org/
University Of Ottawa Tamil Student Union (TSU)
Tamil Canadian Centre for Civic Action (TCCCA) - https://www.tamilcivicaction.com/
ABC Tamil Oli (UN ECOSOC) - https://www.abctamiloli.org/
National Council of Canadian Tamils (NCCT) - http://ncctcanada.ca/

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