Auckland Sri Lankan community holds vigil for terror bomb victims, survivors

Surya holds a Tamil community placard proclaiming “we will overcome the darkness” in today’s Auckland vigil for the victims on Sri Lanka’s Easter bomb attacks. Image: David Robie/PMC

Pacific Media Centre Newsdesk

About 60 people from the Sri Lankan community and human rights advocates gathered in Auckland’s Aotea Square today in a solidarity vigil for the survivors of the Easter Sunday bombings.

More than 320 people were killed in the Sri Lankan atrocities.

Today’s vigil was organised by the Federation of Tamil Associations in NZ (FTANZ).

Meanwhile, the New Zealand and Sir Lankan governments are treating with caution reports that the suicide bombings of three Christian churches and three tourist hotels in three cities across Sri Lanka were carried out by Islamic State (ISIS) in retaliation for the Christchurch mosques terror attacks on March 15.

The terrorist group’s Amaq news agency says ISIS has claimed responsibility for the Easter bombings.

It is the deadliest overseas operation claimed by ISIS since it proclaimed its “caliphate” almost five years ago, and would suggest it retains the ability to launch devastating strikes around the world despite multiple defeats in the Middle East, reports The Guardian.

Auckland Sri Lankans and human rights advocates at the vigil in Aotea Square today. Image: David Robie/PMC Federation of Tamil Associations of New Zealand (FTANZ) coordinator Dr Siva Vasanthan at the Auckland vigil today. Image: David Robie/PMC RNZ Checkpoint’s Alex Perrottet interviewing FTANZ president George Arulanantham at the Auckland vigil today. Image: David Robie/PMC