Protests against the Sri Lankan civil war
Between 2008 and 2009, major protests against the Sri Lankan civil war (often referred to as the Tamil protests by Western news media) took place in several countries around the world, urging national and world leaders and organisations to take action on bringing a unanimous cease fire to the Sri Lankan Civil War, which had taken place for twenty-six years.
[1] Tamil diaspora populations around the world expressed concerns regarding the conduct of the civil war in the island nation of Sri Lanka.
The civil war, which took place between the Sri Lankan Army and the separatist group Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam is believed to have killed over 100,000 civilians.
Protesters appealed to international politicians intervene in the Sri Lankan civil war and request a ceasefire, send humanitarian aid to the Northern Province, promote the creation of Tamil Eelam, and remove the LTTE from lists of terrorist organisations.
After the government of Sri Lanka declared defeat over the LTTE on 18 May 2009, protests continued, accusing then-Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa of war crimes.
Protesters ranging from several dozens to several thousands gathered in the cities of Delhi,[6] Bangalore,[6] Singapore,[7] Kuala Lumpur,[8] London,[9] Paris,[10] Brussels,[11] Berlin,[12] The Hague,[13] Zürich,[14] Geneva,[15] Bern,[16] Oslo,[17] Toronto,[18] Montreal,[19] Vancouver,[20] Ottawa,[21] New York City,[22] Washington,[23] Sydney,[24] Melbourne,[25] Canberra,[26] Auckland,[27] Wellington,[28] and Durban.
The protesters accused the Sri Lankan government alleging attack on civilians and the prevention of aid by the United Nations reaching affected areas.
In response to the protests, Australian foreign minister Stephen Smith stated that he raised the concern of the violence amid the civil war.
The first notable demonstration took place on 28 January 2009 in front of the Consulate General of Sri Lanka in Midtown Toronto involving a few hundred people.
Protests, rallies, human chains, strikes and demonstrations have continuously taken place throughout Chennai by lawyers, politicians, activists, student groups, celebrities, and many organisations.
On 29 January 2009, journalist and activist K. Muthukumar was the first to kill himself while protesting against the Sri Lankan civil war in Chennai; he left a four-page statement in which he accused the Indian government of a historical lack of sympathy towards Tamils and referred to Barack Obama as "our hope".
According to his brother, Murugathasan emigrated from Sri Lanka seven years prior to his death and reports and images from the civil war being circulated via internet and news media would leave him emotional.
"[62] In October 2009 the Daily Mail falsely claimed that a police surveillance team had been watching the two hunger strikers discovered that Subramanyam had been secretly eating McDonald's sandwiches with the help of clandestine deliveries.
[69] It was discovered that the United Kingdom sold arms to Sri Lanka worth over £13.6 million in the last three years of the conflict, contravening the 1998 Code of Conduct on Arms Exports by the European Union that restricts business with countries facing internal conflicts or with poor human rights records and a history of violating international law.
Four committees in the House of Commons expressed concern in a joint statement that arms made in the United Kingdom were fired on civilians during battles in Sri Lanka.
The MPs also questioned the government's commitment to tackling corruption and bribery and called on ministers to investigate what British-supplied military equipment was used in the campaign against the Tamils.
