The meeting, which will take place on Wednesday 16 May from 6.30pm to 9pm in the Boothroyd Room, Portcullis House, will provide an important opportunity to remember all those that died during the country’s civil war and to reaffirm Labour’s strong belief that only with a true reckoning with its past will Sri Lanka be set on the path to lasting peace.
Labour parliamentarians will express their solidarity with the Tamil people and their full support for Tamils’ fundamental rights and freedoms, including the right to self-determination. Importantly, the Party will also be providing details on the pressure Labour will bring to bear on the UK Government to ensure the Sri Lankan authorities abide by their commitments on truth, justice, accountability and reconciliation.
Sen Kandiah, Chair of Tamils for Labour, said:
“I am pleased so many Labour parliamentarians will be attending the Mullivaikal memorial event in Parliament this week. Labour has always stood alongside and spoken up for the Tamil people.
9 years on from the end of Sri Lanka’s armed conflict and the Sri Lankan Government has failed to live up to its promises on justice and reconciliation, as set out in the UN Human Rights Council resolutions. The international community must redouble its efforts to pressure the Sri Lankan authorities to get this agenda back on track.
Labour – as a government in waiting and a proudly internationalist party – has a vital role to play in this regard. I believe that the Labour leadership and all Labour MPs can help to deliver tangible outcomes to the Tamil people before the 10th anniversary of Mullivaikal next year.”
*Tamils for Labour was founded in 2006 and is the largest party political Tamil group in the UK.
*The event in Parliament, kindly hosted by Siobhain McDonagh MP - the Senior Vice Chair of the Tamil APPG, will take place on Wednesday 16 May from 6.30pm to 9pm in the Boothroyd Room, Portcullis House, Houses of Parliament, SW1A 2JH.
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