Tamils in Jaffna are rallying through the town today in protest of Sri Lanka’s 75th Independence Day, which is regarded as a ‘black day’ for Tamils.
Sri Lanka’s 75th Independence Day was celebrated at Galle Face under tight security today.
A heavy military presence was seen on the streets in some parts of Colombo during the celebrations.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena attended the celebrations together with members of Parliament, mostly from the Government.
The main opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya boycotted the celebrations at Galle Face together with a number of other political parties.
The protest began outside the University of Jaffna, where black flags have been hoisted at the campus to mark the occassion.
Businesses in Jaffna expressed their solidarity with the protesters by carrying out a hartal – a day long shutdown- across Jaffna.
Sri Lanka’s Independence Day is deemed a ‘black day’ for the Tamil nation as it continues to be occupied by the Sri Lankan military and lacks basic rights as well as the right to self-determination.