Victims of Tamil Conference '74 remembered

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 January 2003, 16:28 GMT]
Speaking at the 29th year ceremony commemorating the victims of massacre at the International Tamil Research Conference in Jaffna, Rev. Fr. T. Jeyakumar said that some Sinhalese extremists planned the killing when Tamil people showed their love of their language by participating at the conference celebrating Tamil language.

The commemoration ceremony was held in front of the memorials to the victims at the Jaffna town grounds. Jaffna district women wing political leader of the LTTE, Ms. Kalaivili, Rev. Fr. T. Jeyakumar, Jaffna Municipal Councilor, Mr. N. Iruthayarajah, and large numbers of the public garlanded the memorials.

Mr. Iruthayarajah chaired the commemoration meeting, attended by a large number of the public. Rev. Fr. Jeyakumar continued: "We observe today with profound sadness the murder of people who participated at the international Tamil conference. It is fitting to observe this day when the peace process is going on. The extremists planned the murders of the innocent Tamil people who showed their love of Tamil and their 'Tamilness'.

"History has shown that no force, however powerful, can destroy a community that seeks freedom and dignity. The current peace talks are a testament to that history. The same way the innocent participants lost their lives, thousands of our people and fighters gave their lives for Tamil Eelam.

"It is a very fitting day to commemorate the lives of these fighters and the people as well. It is due to the actions of our fighters that we are able to breath a little more freely today. It is the wish of everyone that the current peace and relative normality should become permanent."