Members of the Batticaloa Municipal Council marked Mullivaikkal Remembrance Week during the council’s monthly sitting on 7 May, wearing black ribbons and paying tribute to Tamils who were killed during the final stages of the armed conflict in 2009.
The session, held under the chairmanship of Batticaloa Mayor Sivampakkiyanathan, began with customary proceedings before the Mayor invited councillors to observe a remembrance for the victims of Mullivaikkal, noting that the sitting coincided with the annual commemoration period.
A memorial flame was lit by Municipal Councillor Arun, after which councillors laid floral tributes and observed two minutes of silence in memory of those who lost their lives during the final months of the war.
Council proceedings later resumed as scheduled, with councillors debating and adopting several administrative and development-related resolutions.
Among the motions passed was a proposal calling for the removal of the military-operated restaurant at Kallady Beach. Councillors stated that the establishment had continued to expand over time and urged that the premises instead be repurposed to support livelihood initiatives for women-led households in the area.