Harrow Mayor apologises amidst resignations calls over photos with Sri Lankan brigadier

The Mayor of the London borough of Harrow has apologised amidst calls for her resignation over photographs she had taken with senior Sri Lankan military officials, including the brigadier found guilty of threatening Tamil protesters in London.

Kareema Marikar, a Labour councillor of Sri Lankan origin who is serving as the ceremonial mayor of the borough for the year 2018/19, published photographs of herself in her mayoral garb posing with military officials including the notorious Brigadier Priyanka Fernando as well as Sri Lanka’s army commander Mahesh Senanayake. The photographs were accompanied with captions praising the officials for their service.

A petition handed to Harrow Council’s cabinet last week said “it was extremely upsetting to learn that Ms Marikar, who represents a large number of Tamils in Harrow and claims to have a detailed knowledge of Sri Lanka, chose to publish photographs with these senior military officials.”

Harrow has the highest population of Eelam Tamils in the UK with upwards of 10,000 Tamil residents.

While the mayor was initially defiant against criticism, including confronting members of the Tamil community on social media, she has recently issued an apology stating her meeting with Priyanka Fernando had not been predetermined.

“I want to apologise unreservedly for any hurt or offence that this may have caused the Tamil community,” she said, adding that the photographs had been removed from her Facebook profile.

The mayor however made no reference to other military officials in the apology.

A Labour source said that the mayor may have faced disciplinary action and that her actions did not reflect party policy on Sri Lanka which includes pushing for accountability and justice for atrocities and genocide committed against Tamils, as articulated by the party leader Jeremy Corbyn.

Source : Tamil Guardian