TELO Leader and Democratic Tamil National Alliance (DTNA) Vanni District MP Selvam Adaikalanathan moving a private member’s motion in Parliament, urged the government to appoint a Presidential Commission of Inquiry to ascertain the truth regarding the ethnic violence that occurred during ‘Black July’ in 1983, assess the resulting damage, and formulate recommendations to prevent the recurrence of such ethnic violence. Moving this private member’s motion in the House yesterday (9), MP Adaikalanathan emphasized the need for appropriate action to be taken in this regard.
The motion stated that the ethnic clashes, violence, and mass killings that took place during the 1983 ‘Black July’ and at the Welikada Prison have left deep scars on the country’s national unity, social fabric, and economy.
Furthermore, these conflicts and acts of violence resulted in the deaths of thousands of people and the displacement of tens of thousands who became refugees, while valuable assets including homes and business establishments were completely destroyed by arson.
Despite more than 40 years having passed since these events, the perpetrators who orchestrated these conflicts and acts of violence have not been identified, and no comprehensive or independent inquiry has yet been conducted into the human rights violations and property damage that occurred.
It is stated that, in order to ensure that such ethnic conflicts and violence do not recur in the country and to build lasting peace and harmony among all ethnic communities, this Parliament proposes the appointment of a Presidential Commission of Inquiry to ascertain the truth regarding the aforementioned violence, assess the resulting damage, and make recommendations to prevent the recurrence of such ethnic violence.