Mothers in the North strongly demand international intervention, stepping into year 08
“We strongly request the international community to immediately intervene and help us to get the solutions we demand without giving any more time and opportunities to the Sri Lankan government, which has not responded to the struggle carried out in 07 years by us the relatives of 08 North-Eastern districts demanding answers to the question of what happened to our relatives who have been forcibly disappeared.” said Yogarajah Kanakaranjani the President of the Association for Relatives of the Enforced Disappearances (ARED) in North and East in Sri Lanka.
Yesterday, the 20th of February, marked the completion of the 07th year of the longest struggle in Sri Lanka run by the relatives of the forcibly disappeared in North and East in Sri Lanka. Marking the day and the long struggle, the Association for Relatives of the Enforced Disappearances (ARED) in North and East , staged a protest march along the main road, commenced from the famous Kandasamy Kovil in Kilinochchi around 10.00 am and proceeded to the Depot Junction, near the Amman Kovil dashing coconuts against those who disappeared their relatives.
Exactly, they started this long protest 20th of February 2017 and after that many relatives joined the Association of ARED, said the current President Yogarajah Kanakranjani.
Hundreds of members of the Association for Relatives (Mothers, Fathers, wives, and siblings of the Enforced Disappearances (ARED) from the 08 branches of the Northern and Eastern Provinces attended the protest march holding their missing persons’ photographs, black flags and several placards and banners which written their demands and slogans.
They shouted with slogans in the Tamil language, “We want the truth and justice” ” We do not want death certificates, we want to know where our loved ones”, ” and “All the responsibles should be brought to the International Commission.” and ” We need only International investigation”
some activists, several victims of the same issue of disappearance, Christian priests, and one Buddhist monk attended the protest march from Colombo in Solidarity with Northern victims.
After passing a stretch of four kilometers, at the Depot Junction in Kilinochchi, they ended- up the protest march with dashing coconuts against their enemies who disappeared their loved ones at the Amman Kovil.
“We hope that the family (Former President, Mahinda Rajapaksa) who killed and disappeared our people will be presented to the International Court and get
solutions through the International Court. We earnestly request the support of international organizations for that” The President of the Association, Yogaraja Kanakaranjani addressed the media and said at the end.
“Today, we request through the media that everyone should understand this emotional and passionate struggle for the entire Tamil people in the North East and walk with us for truth and justice.” She said.
“We had to face various troubles and threats from the police, army, and intelligence agencies during this journey of searching for our relatives throughout these 7 years. The international community should understand and provide solutions for this difficult journey that is being carried out while facing life threats. But, until we will get the solution we will travel on this” said Kanakaranjani.
Also, she requested the entire Tamil people living abroad and asked them to take this struggle to demand justice for the injustice done to the Tamil people in front of the embassies of those countries.
Father Amila Jeevantha Peiris attended the protest representing the Colombo Aragalaya and the Movement for Peoples’ Council and addressed the media and said that Ranil Wickremesinghe’s anti-people governments, including the Rajapaksa, are doing an anti-justice program by building OMP offices for the missing, giving money for the missing, bringing laws and further trampling the innocent Tamil people in the north.”
“For the sake of justice and fairness, the people of the north and the south unite together and protect the rights of the victims. Only with a force to protect the rights of the victims, the current government can be sent home and the families of these victims can get justice. For that, we invite all Sri Lankans to unite around the people’s power. The struggle is the only power for the people” Father Jeevantha Peiris added.
Thousands of Tamils including children and youth disappeared after being taken away by or handed over to Sri Lanka security forces, especially to the military during and after the war.
“We all have a dream to find our missing relatives and live with them for a day at least because we knowingly handed over our children to the army at the request
of the army. And we consciously surrendered to the army outside the families. So they should be living somewhere.” This is not a saying or a hope of one mother or father or relative, but the only hope of the fathers, mothers, and all the relatives who have come to the streets and have been struggling for the past 7 years.
Over 200,000 persons had reportedly gone missing during the later stages of the war in 2009, according to ARED sources.
According to the information received from the Red Cross, they have 16000 (Sixteen thousand) persons who have been rehabilitated and released through the SL Army. And the SL Army had said that from that number of 12000 (Twelve thousand) persons have been socialized. Then these parents question “What happened to the rest of 4000 (Four thousand)?
“So, we only need an International inquiry to solve this puzzle.” they said.
END.
