The Sri Lankan state implemented another horrendous act in its policy to eradicate monuments and memorials dedicated to preserving Tamil history in the Tamil homeland. On January 8th 2021, under the cover of darkness, the Mullivaikal Tamil Genocide Memorial housed inside the premises of the Jaffna University were bulldozed and destroyed by the Sri Lankan state. The monument was unveiled in 2019 to mark the 10th year anniversary of the Mullivaikal Genocide and served as an important memorial site for Tamils. The monument honoured the thousands of Tamils who had lost their lives in the Tamil genocide perpetrated by the Sri Lankan state.
The Sri Lankan state’s genocide on the Tamils reached its height in May of 2009. The failure of international bodies and institutions to prevent genocide of the Tamil people resulted in one of the most recent genocides of the 21st century. In May 2009 alone, tens of thousands of Tamil civilians lost their lives and countless others were maimed and injured. The slaughter of Tamils reached genocidal proportions in Mullivaikal, where tens of thousands of Tamils were slaughtered in cold blood. Credible grassroots civil society organizations from the Tamil homeland estimate that over 120,000 Tamil civilians lost their lives leading up to May 2009. Furthermore, 146,679 Tamils continue to remain unaccounted for, 12 years after the Mullivaikal Genocide. Today, the Tamils continue to face structural genocide and the International Community has done very little to hold Sri Lanka accountable.
Emboldened by the lack of a firm and strong international response in support of justice, the Sri Lankan state has currently intensified its structural genocide policies against the Tamil nation. In the final stage of genocide, the perpetrator denies that the genocide took place and eradicates all evidences associated with the genocide. The destruction of the Mullivaikal Tamil Genocide Memorial Monument is a strategy by the Sri Lankan state to continue to deny the Tamil genocide and an act to erase the history and the lived experiences of the Tamil nation. This act should be strongly condemned by all peace loving citizens of the world.
The destruction of the Mullivaikal Tamil Genocide Memorial joins a long list of genocidal acts perpetrated by the Sri Lankan state on the Tamil nation with impunity. This attack on Tamil identity further strengthens the Eelam Tamils’ resolve to continue our struggle for self-determination.
The Tamil Youth Organisation (TYO) calls upon the International Community and the United Nations:
1. To strongly condemn this barbaric act and stand in solidarity with the Tamil people who have gathered in front of the Jaffna University to protest this inhumane act resisting intimidation.
2. To take immediate meaningful actions that will bring genuine accountability and justice to the Tamil nation without further delay.
3. To work with the Tamil nation to find a lasting political solution based on the right to self-determination of the Tamil nation that addresses the legitimate aspirations of the Tamil nation and brings justice for the genocide perpetrated by the Sri Lankan state.
