Several British politicians called for setting up of an international tribunal to investigate the genocide of Tamils in Sri Lanka and imposing economic sanctions against the state, at the "Genocide Remembrance Day" held at Hyde Park, London, last week. 

"During the war that ended in May 2009, around 430,000 Tamil people had taken refuge in Sri Lankan State declared safe zones in Mullivaikkal a coastal village bordering the Bay of Bengal in the North Eastern part of the island of Sri Lanka.   Having deceived and corralled the people into a narrow slither of land by designating it as a “no fire zone” the state pounced them with heavy artillery from land sea and air, mercilessly massacring them.  At the end of this massacre only 282000 escaped alive with nearly 147,000 unaccounted for," the British Tamil Forum, the organizer of the even, said.

It added, "The UN Panel Report on Sri Lanka (UN POE) in 2010 estimated that more than 40,000 civilians were killed during just the final stages of the conflict by the Sri Lankan armed forces in 2009. The three-member UN panel found credible allegations that comprise five core categories of potential serious violations of international law, committed by the Government of Sri Lanka in the final stages of the conflict, including killing of civilians through widespread shelling and the denial of humanitarian assistance.

In 2012 March, the UN Human Rights Council adopted a resolution urging Sri Lanka to investigate its own alleged abuses during the final phase of war. To date no investigations have been carried out to find out the truth about these killings. Many of the Tamils worldwide lost their kith and kin in this genocide. Hence Mullivaikkal massacre created a collective trauma in the mind of the Tamil community. Every year this day is commemorated by the global Tamil community as the Mullivaikkal genocide Remembrance Day. "

On his Tamil remembrance day message to the British Tamils, UK’s opposition leader and leader of the Labour party Jeremy Corbyn, called for a setting up of an international tribunal to investigate the crimes against the Tamils in Sri Lanka.

He also called for economic sanctions and ban on armed sales to Sri Lanka based on the noncompliance of human rights resolution 30/1 by Sri Lanka. This call resonates with the recent request made by the UN Human rights commissioner  Hussain Zeid at the last UNHRC meeting in Geneva. UN Human rights Commissioner urged the Human Rights Council to continue to play a critical role in encouraging progress in accountability and reconciliation in Sri Lanka and called on Member States to explore other avenues, including the application of universal jurisdiction, that could foster accountability.

This call for the setting up of an international tribunal on Sri Lanka based on resolution 30/1, has been repeated by the Chief minister of Northern province Mr. C. Vigneswaran on his Remembrance Day speech in Mullivaikkal, Sri Lanka.

On his Remembrance Day message Rt Hon John McDonnell MP, shadow chancellor, assured the Tamils that Labour party in opposition and when in government will use every avenue available internationally and domestically to seek justice to the Tamils in Sri Lanka. He assured that Labour party will not stand by while the injustices on Tamils are ongoing in Sri Lanka.