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Sri Lanka's Tamil-majority north shuts down to support rally

JAFFNA, Sri Lanka — Shops have shut in Sri Lanka’s ethnic Tamil-majority north in support of a rally demanding an international probe into alleged atrocities committed during the nation’s civil war and an end to alleged state-sponsored efforts to change the ethnic demography of the Tamils’ traditional homeland.

Hundreds took part in the rally Monday in Jaffna town. Speakers demanded explanations for civilian disappearances during the long civil war, which ended in 2009. They also demanded the release of those arrested for alleged links to the now-defeated Tamil rebels and the return of land and homes taken over by the military.

A proclamation read out at the rally said Tamil people have faced massive challenges since the end of the war, with U.N efforts to hold Sri Lanka accountable for alleged atrocities proving futile.

The Associated Press