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Remember the Victims

July 2, 2008

I am writing to you today to urge you to remember the lives lost in senseless episodes of violence in Sri Lanka: in Black July 1983, and in communal riots in 1958. This year marks the 25th and the 50th anniversaries of these riots, and these tragic events should not pass silently.

Thousands of Tamils were massacred in both events, as Sri Lankan security forces were reported to have actively participated, or stood by idly in tacit support. The extent of physical and psychological trauma cannot be underestimated, sparking the exodus of hundreds of thousands of Tamil refugees from the island.

A report from the International Commission of Jurists firmly declared, "the violence of the Sinhala rioters on the Tamils amounted to acts of genocide." These riots were not isolated events in Sri Lanka's tragic history. Outbursts of communal riots and government support for ethnic violence have remained a disturbing trait of post-independence Sri Lanka. Riots have marked Sri Lankan history in every decade since Sri Lanka's independence in 1948, and continued impunity for anti-Tamil attacks enables ongoing and future violence.

I urge you to support a Congressional resolution to commemorate the victims of Black July and previous massacres. Only by remembering the past and honoring the survivors, can the international community send an unequivocal message to the Sri Lankan government that such genocidal actions will not be tolerated.