Wikipedia

Mullivaikkal Remembrance Day

Mullivaikkal Remembrance Day (or simply Mullivaikkal Day; Tamil: முள்ளிவாய்க்கால் நினைவு நாள் Muḷḷivāykkāl Niṉaivu Nāḷ) is a remembrance day observed by Sri Lankan Tamils to remember those who were killed during the final stages of the Sri Lankan Civil War. It is held each year on 18 May, the date on which the civil war ended in 2009, and is named after Mullivaikkal, a village on the northeastern coast of Sri Lanka which was the scene of the final battle of the civil war and the site of the Mullivaikkal massacre.

Mullivaikkal Remembrance Day
Tamil women and children seen grieving in Mullivaikkal (2016)
Official nameமுள்ளிவாய்க்கால் நினைவு நாள்
Also calledTamil Genocide Remembrance Day
Observed bySri Lankan Tamils[1]
SignificanceEnd of the Sri Lankan Civil War and to commemorate the war dead
Date18 May
Next time18 May 2025 (2025-05-18)
FrequencyAnnual
Related toRemembrance Day

History

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Labour Party MP Charles Chauvel lighting a candle on Mullivaikkal Remembrance Day 2010 in Wellington, New Zealand
 
Uthayan staff donating blood on Mullivaikkal Remembrance Day 2013 in Jaffna, Sri Lanka

The Sri Lankan Civil War was an armed conflict where the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) led an insurgency against the Sri Lankan government to create an independent state in the Tamil-majority northeastern regions of Sri Lanka called Tamil Eelam. By 2007, the civil war had cost an estimated 70,000 lives.[2] Amongst those killed, Sri Lankan Tamils alone made up a total of 54,053 deaths and 25,266 Sri Lankan Tamils went missing or "disappeared".[3] The final months of the civil war, between late 2008 and early 2009, witnessed particularly brutal fighting between the Sri Lanka Army and the LTTE.[4][5] Around 300,000 civilians were trapped between the two sides.[6] Both sides committed and were accused of major human rights violations.[7]

The civil war ended on 18 May 2009 with the killing of Velupillai Prabhakaran, founder and leader of the LTTE.[8] A United Nations report found that as many as 40,000 Tamil civilians may have been killed in the final months of the civil war, mostly as a result of indiscriminate shelling by the Sri Lankan military.[9][10][11] There are widespread allegations that both sides committed atrocities and human rights violations, including war crimes.[12][13][14] The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights is currently investigating the alleged war crimes.[15][16]

Commemoration banned

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The Sri Lankan government, which formerly declared 18 May as Victory Day, celebrates the day with military parades.[17] The day is also a commemoration for dead military personnel who are celebrated as "war heroes".[18] However, there was no official commemoration for the thousands of Tamil civilians killed in the civil war despite the government's own Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission recommending that all citizens killed during the war be commemorated on National Day (4 February).[19][20] Instead, the government has virtually banned Tamils from commemorating their war dead.[21][22] In the run up to 18 May, security is tightened in the Tamil-majority Northern and Eastern provinces and schools and universities are closed to prevent any public commemoration.[23][24][25]

The government and its security forces regard any commemoration by Tamils to be commemoration of the LTTE, not civilians.[26] The security forces claim that Tamils may commemorate dead LTTE members in private but there have been reports of the military entering homes to prevent commemoration.[27][28]

Under the presidency of Mahinda Rajapaksa, 18 May was known as Victory day, but when Maithripala Sirisena came to power in 2015 the date was renamed as Remembrance day.[29] The date was also moved to 19 May.[30]

Commemorations

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Despite the security restrictions, Tamils in Sri Lanka hold small events on 18 May, which they call Mullivaikkal Remembrance Day, to commemorate those killed.[31][32][33] Public commemorations are dealt with harshly by Sri Lankan security forces,[34][35] and Sri Lankan Tamil politicians have been arrested for commemorating Mullivaikkal Remembrance Day.[36][37]

In the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, political parties, youth organizations, and social movement groups organize a number of remembrance events across the state.[38][39][40]

Amongst the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora, where there are no restrictions on commemorating Mullivaikkal Remembrance Day, large public gatherings are held.[41][42][43][44]

In 2022, the Parliament of Canada adopted a motion to mark May 18 as Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day.[45] In 2023, Mayor of Brampton Patrick Brown commemorated Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day with a ground breaking for a Tamil Genocide monument to be built in the city of Brampton.[46]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Mullivaikkal Remembrance Day - 2022: Reminiscing the dead in final battle 2009 - News Features". Daily Mirror. 5 June 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  2. ^ Buerk, Roland (16 July 2007). "Defiant Tigers cling to last bastion". BBC News.
  3. ^ "Recorded figures of Arrests, Killings, Disappearances". www.tchr.net. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
  4. ^ Harrison, Frances (11 October 2012). "The broken survivors of Sri Lanka's civil war". BBC News.
  5. ^ "UN chief announces Sri Lanka trip". United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Agence France Presse. 19 May 2009.
  6. ^ "UN must investigate Sri Lanka rights violations". Amnesty International. 17 May 2010.
  7. ^ Pioneer, The. "Lankan Civil War and human rights violation". The Pioneer. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  8. ^ Hull, C. Bryson; Sirilal, Ranga (18 May 2009). "Fighting ends, rebel leader Prabhakaran dead". Die Welt.
  9. ^ Aneez, Shihar; Sirilal, Ranga (7 April 2014). "Sri Lanka won't cooperate U.N. war crime probe: foreign minister". Reuters.
  10. ^ Lynch, Colum (22 April 2011). "U.N.: Sri Lanka's crushing of Tamil Tigers may have killed 40,000 civilians". Washington Post.
  11. ^ "UN: Sri Lanka mass deaths may be 'war crimes'". Al Jazeera. 25 April 2011.
  12. ^ Davidson, Helen (5 February 2014). "Sri Lankan security forces destroyed evidence of war crimes, report claims". The Guardian.
  13. ^ "Q&A: Post-war Sri Lanka". BBC News. 20 September 2013.
  14. ^ Welch, Dylan (26 October 2011). "Fraser supports call for Sri Lanka war crimes inquiry". The Age.
  15. ^ "United Nations launches Sri Lanka war crimes inquiry; Australia declines to support resolution". ABC News (Australia). Agence France-Presse. 28 March 2014.
  16. ^ Buncombe, Andrew (27 March 2014). "UN launches official investigation into Sri Lankan war crimes". The Independent.
  17. ^ "War memorial events banned in North". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka). 11 May 2014.
  18. ^ Dias, Supun (12 May 2010). "Week-long programme to mark war heroes' week". The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka). Archived from the original on 17 May 2014. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
  19. ^ "Report of the Commission of Inquiry on Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation" (PDF). Government of Sri Lanka. November 2011. pp. 387–388. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 January 2012. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
  20. ^ Perera, Jehan (29 October 2013). "The rational quest for mutually beneficial solutions starts now". The Island (Sri Lanka).
  21. ^ Report of the Secretary-General's Panel of Experts on Accountability in Sri Lanka (PDF). United Nations. 31 March 2011. p. 80.
  22. ^ "Victims or active agents of change?". Ceylon Today. 18 October 2013.
  23. ^ Perera, Melani Manel (13 May 2014). "Sri Lanka preparing Victory Day but only the south will celebrate". AsiaNews.
  24. ^ "SL military wants Jaffna University shut down on Mu'l'livaaykkaal Day". TamilNet. 6 May 2014.
  25. ^ "Jaffna University To Close On May 18". The Sunday Leader. 11 May 2014.
  26. ^ "No War Commemoration Allowed in Lanka North". The New Indian Express. Press Trust of India. 11 May 2014. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016.
  27. ^ "Sri Lanka bans commemoration of Tiger rebels". Khaleej Times. Agence France-Presse. 11 May 2014.
  28. ^ "Living with insecurity: Marginalization and sexual violence against women in north and east Sri Lanka". Minority Rights Group International. 16 October 2013. p. 13.
  29. ^ "May 19 is Remembrance Day: Rajitha - Breaking News | Daily Mirror". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  30. ^ "National War Heroes' Day commemoration event gets underway". www.adaderana.lk. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  31. ^ "Sri Lanka Tamils defy ban on rebel memorial". Arab News. Agence France-Presse. 19 May 2013.
  32. ^ Srinivasan, Meera (10 May 2014). "Sri Lanka seizes ammunition". The Hindu.
  33. ^ "Mu'l'livaaykkaal Remembrance observed in Vanni". TamilNet. 19 May 2012.
  34. ^ "SL police disrupts elected councillors from conducting Mu'l'livaaykkaal Remembrance". TamilNet. 16 May 2014.
  35. ^ Mohan, Sulochana Ramiah. "TAK to commemorate war dead". Ceylon Today.
  36. ^ "SL Police arrests TNPF politicians on Mu'l'livaaykkaal Remembrance Day in Mannaar". TamilNet. 18 May 2013.
  37. ^ "15 arrested for allegedly marking Prabha's death". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka). 19 May 2013.
  38. ^ "Idea of the Tamil struggle cannot be killed': Kashmiri Leader". TamilNet. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
  39. ^ "TN Mu'l'livaaykkaal Remembrance meeting condemns Indian-West complicity in genocide". TamilNet. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
  40. ^ "Events across Tamil Nadu mark Mullivaikkal massacre". Tamil Guardian. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
  41. ^ "British MPs call for war crimes probes at Mu'l'livaaykkaal Remembrance". TamilNet. 20 May 2010.
  42. ^ "International probe into Sri Lanka's war crimes urged at British rally". TamilNet. 19 May 2011.
  43. ^ "Independent international investigation on Sri Lanka called for at London event". TamilNet. 20 May 2012.
  44. ^ "Diaspora Tamils observe Mu'l'li-vaaykkaal Genocide remembrance events". TamilNet. 19 May 2013.
  45. ^ "Parliament creates day to remember Tamil genocide in Sri Lanka". National Post. 18 May 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  46. ^ "Canadian Parliamentarians recognise Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day | Tamil Guardian". www.tamilguardian.com. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
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