Letter from U.K. 

UK Tamil youths observe fast marking Black July
25 years of Sri Lanka state sponsored genocide of Tamils

Tamil youths in the United Kingdom observed a fast programme for 25 hours beginning at 4 pm on July 25 (Friday) to mark ‘Black July’.

Around 50 Tamil youths and about 20 women took part in the hunger strike in Trafalgar Square to participate in the fast dressing in all black sitting underneath a white marquee, which was situated next to the National Gallery.

The youths handed out leaflets with information about the history of Black July alongside some traditional snacks and drinks. 

Many people from all over the place walked up to the marquee took the leaflets and asked questions relating to Black July and extended their support to the fast event. 

Hundreds of Tamils also took part in the event after the hunger strike began.

Although some participants in the fast fainted, they were immediately given first aid treatment and they recovered.

Tamil Youth Organization (TYO) – UK, Tamil Women’s Organization and British Tamil Forum organized the event that ended at 5 p.m. on July 26.

TNA parliamentarian Padmini Sithamparanathan and Mr. Yogan Yoganathan broke the hunger by providing them with fruit juice.

The strike drew the attention of people of all ages. One of the helpers said:  ‘’I am pleasantly surprised by the interest and knowledge people had about the situations of Tamils in Sri Lanka.’’ 

“The TYO members did tremendously well although the temptations of having drinks and foods around were difficult”, a spectator observed. 

TYO also organised an exhibition highlighting the history of Black July with photos of victims and their stories and important quotes such as that from J.R. Jayawardene, President of Sri Lanka in 1983: 

‘’I am not worried about the opinions of the Tamil people…Now we cannot think of them, not about their lives or their opinions…The more you put pressure on the north, the happier the Sinhala people will be here…Really, if I starve the Tamils out, the Sinhala people will be happy,’’ he was quoted in Daily Telegraph. 

TYO member added:  “Sometimes visual effects such as images help picture the horrific events that were going on during Black July.  The message we are trying to bring out is that we don’t want what happened in 1983 to happen to anywhere else ever again because it all goes against any human rights.’’ 

‘’Today we started off with a silence moment to remember all the lost ones back home and throughout the day we had many people taking pictures of us and the exhibition, ‘’ he continued. 

The organisers said a Photographer from a Norwegian magazine, Image Magazine, came to Trafalgar Square for a different reason, but when he spotted the 25 hour fast, he could not resist going up and finding out what was going on and why they were doing the fast.

‘’I came here for a different reason, but after seeing and hearing about Black July I am very much intrigued about the struggle of Tamils in Sri Lanka and did take some pictures,’’ organisers quoted the photographer as saying. 

Not only the Norwegian photographer, also tourists from all over the place visited the fast venue. 

Other people such as a Political Correspondent from the Daily Mail came to have a look at the exhibition as well as a filmmaker. 

One encouraging thing for TYO was that members of the Socialist Party was already there and handed out leaflets of Black July, extending their support through that.

In the leaflet the Socialist Party stated:  ‘’The right of Tamil people to self-determination must be allowed and the rights of all minorities must be safeguarded.’’ 

This statement went really well with the banners and boards the members of TYO were holding up all over Trafalgar Square.  Theirs stated:  ‘’UN: Everyone has the right to a nationality.  Tamils ask for nothing more.’’ 

Some TYO members spoke in other languages and this helped some tourists understand the Black July.

One girl was seen explaining Black July in French to a French man to her best ability. 

‘’We are the voices for the people back home, if it wasn’t for us, they would have no hope.  We are standing here united to show our support and love to the people we lost and who are still in Sri Lanka,’’ said one TYO member. 

It was a very successful event to raise awareness and for getting more media attention. 

Local Tamil MPs came for the last two hours of the 25-hour fast to show their support and applauded TYO members for their effort to organise such programme.

When the 25-hour fast ended the members were greeted with lots of drinks and food to celebrate their success.