Preserve Tamil Eelam War Heritage: An Urgent Call to Save Historical Sites Introduction Across Sri Lanka’s northern and eastern provinces, the physical remnants of a brutal decades-long civil war – from clandestine bunkers and battle-scarred buildings to war memorials and cemeteries – are under threat of erasure. These sites bear witness to the history of the Eelam Tamil struggle and suffering during the war. Yet today they are being systematically destroyed, defaced, or neglected, a process that amounts to an erasure of memory . Every demolished bunker or bulldozed memorial robs future generations of a landmark of Tamil history and heritage. This article is a plea for immediate action: for the Sri Lankan government to halt the destruction and for the Eelam Tamil community – together with all who cherish historical truth – to demand the preservation of these war-related sites. The urgency cannot be overstated; if we allow these scarred landmarks to vanish, we allow a vital chapter o...

Introduction: A Long Wait for Accountability More than 16 years have passed since the brutal final phase of Sri Lanka’s civil war in May 2009, yet justice for the mass atrocities against Tamils remains elusive. Tens of thousands of Tamil civilians were killed in what the United Nations later called a “bloodbath” , especially during the Mullivaikkal Massacre of 2009. In the war’s aftermath, Tamil survivors and activists have pressed relentlessly for accountability—through protests, petitions, and pleas to the world. However, the international responses so far have largely failed to deliver meaningful results, leaving Tamil communities frustrated and betrayed. This persistent injustice is not due to a lack of effort or courage on the Tamils’ part. Instead, it stems from systemic failures in the mechanisms meant to ensure justice, and from the fragmentation and obstacles that Tamil organizations themselves have faced along the way. This blog article shines a light on those systemic fai...

"Toward Eelam Tamil Self-Determination: A Struggle for Justice, Identity, and Sovereignty" "Legal Foundations, Historical Grievances, and Strategic Pathways to International Recognition and Democratic Freedom" Subject: Pathways Toward Eelam Tamil Self-Determination Prepared for: Advocates, Diplomats, and International Partners Date: July 10, 2025 Author: Wimal Navaratnam, Human Rights Activist, Chief Administrative Officer-ABC Tamil Oli (ECOSOC) Contributor: MS Research AI, with input from Wimal Navaratnam Introduction Self-determination – the right of a people to determine their political destiny – is a core principle of international order, enshrined in the UN Charter and human rights covenants. For the Eelam Tamils of Sri Lanka, this principle is not an abstract ideal, but a lived struggle born of decades of discrimination, violence, and unmet democratic aspirations. Eelam Tamils (the Tamil people of Sri Lanka’s north and east) have long asserted their ...