Diaspora Tamils commemorate Black July, support struggle

[TamilNet, Sunday, 29 July 2007, 12:39 GMT]
Thousands of diaspora Tamils joined protests in several world capitals to commemorate 24th anniversary of Black July and to express support and to continue the struggle "to establish self-rule in the territories Tamil people have made their home for centuries..until the goal is achieved."

Black July, 1983

Washington, US: Struggle for self-rule will continue Trafalgar Square, UK: Support for Independent Eelam Markam, Canada: Welikade survivor speaks Durban, South Africa: Expresses solidarity with NorthEast Tamils Brussels, Belgium: Assemble in front of European parliament Geneva, Switzerland: Memorial in front of UN building Melbourne, Australia: 24 oil lamps lit to commemorate Black July Diaspora Tamils join demonstrations and protests in numbers despite co-ordinated crackdown on Tamil activists by Western states

In the peace rally attended by nearly one thousand American Tamils from several states across the United States in front of the Capitol Building, in Washington D.C. Monday from 12:00 noon to 3:00 p.m., the participants said: "We, the Tamil Americans, hereby proclaim that Eelam Tamils constitute a Nation. We resolve that our struggle to establish the right of Tamil people to Self-Determination, and to establish self-rule in the territories Tamil people have made their home for centuries will continue until our goal is achieved," in a declaration released to the press at the conclusion of the rally.

Nearly five thousand British Tamils demonstrated Saturday in central London calling on the UK to apply pressure to halt human rights abuses by Sri Lanka’s security forces and to recognize the right to self-determination of the Tamil people. The rally in Trafalgar square was organized by councilors of Tamil origin in the London area.

More than 5000 Tamils attended the Markham Civic Centre, Wednesday evening at 6:00 p.m. to attend a rally to commemorate the pogrom of July 1983 and to pay homage to the hundreds of Tamils who lost their lives during the state sponsored violence. Mr.Anton Philip Sinnarasa, a survivor of the 1983 Welikada prison massacre, said that 53 Tamils killed during orgies of violence on 25th and 27th of July, lived for their conviction and their dream, and died in pursuit of a just cause.

Several hundred South African Tamils filled the Bayview Arutpa Kazhagam Hall in Chatsworth in Durban Friday evening to express solidarity with the NorthEast Tamils, and to pay respect for the victims of the pogroms against Tamils in Sri Lanka in July 1983.

Belgian, Australian, and Swiss Tamils joined other expatriate Tamil communities worldwide in remembering the Black July event. Swiss Tamils assembled in front of the United Nations Building in Geneva on the 25th Wednesday, Australian Tamils in Melbourne convened in Melbourne City Square and Belgian Tamils assembled in front of the European Parliament in Brussels on Wednesday between 2:00 p.m and 5:00 p.m to pay respect for the Tamils who perished during the 1983 July State sponsored violence and to highlight the current human right abuses against Tamils in Colombo and across NorthEast.