Demanding demilitarisation

The streets of Jaffna saw historic scenes on Tuesday. The largest demonstration since the massacre on the beaches of Mullivaikal 6 years ago took place, with unanimous backing from Tamil political parties in the North-East, Tamil civil society groups and diaspora organisations. The protest, preceded by a series of demonstrations by Tamils in recent weeks, was a defiant marker of the Tamil people’s unwavering call for justice and the ongoing agony of not knowing where their missing loved ones are. Amid the moving scenes of Tamil mothers gripping photographs of their missing children and calling for their return, one demand was resoundingly clear and recurrent throughout - the Sri Lankan military must leave the Tamil areas.