38 parents of missing Tamils have perished during prolonged protest, mothers blame IC

[TamilNet, Thursday, 01 August 2019, 22:55 GMT]
Thirty-eight parents, most of them mothers, have died since the families of persons subjected to enforced disappearances launched their protest, which is nearing 900 days. Many of them suffered heart-attacks, says Leelathevi Ananthanadarajah, the mother of a Tamil went missing at the hands of the occupying SL military. By failing to specify a time-bound action plan to the SL State, the IC has failed the victims, she said. The mother was talking to media during the monthly marking at Ki'linochchi on Tuesday. In the meantime, the ‘Office on Missing Persons’, which is the SL State-agency tasked to determine the status of the missing, has stepped up its psychological war against the women taking part in the continuous protests across the districts of North-East. The latest OMP manoeuvre is to offer 250,000 rupees of loans to the active protesters selectively, Mrs Ananthanadarajah said.

The protesting mothers in Mullaiththeevu district have already exposed the deceptive role played by the ICRC, which wants the families to register their complaints with the OMP in exchange for 6,000 rupees of financial assistance per month.



Ananthanadarajah received a post on Monday, a day before the monthly marking of the protest. It was an application form with the offer of 250,000 rupees of loan. The OMP is trying to deceive the protesting mothers and wives by selectively offering such loans, she said.

However, the mothers remain firm in their protest and are determined to mark this year's  International Day of the Disappeared, on 30th August with resolve, the representatives of the activists said.

The SL State wishes all us dead as it seeks to water down the protest. However, we remain firm in continuing the struggle to the last breath of the mother, Ananthanadarajah declared in an emotional address to the Tamil press.

The kith and kin of the Tamils subjected to enforced disappearances launched their continuous protest on 20th February 2017 at Ki'linochchi. Similar protests were also launched in other parts of the North-East.

Chronology: