We look back through the month of May 2009. 11 years ago, the final stages of the armed conflict in Sri Lanka ended on the beaches of Mullivaikkal. This period saw the deaths of 70,000 to 140,000 Tamil civilians, primarily by the Sri Lankan army. (1/17)

This thread will show an accurate timeline of the atrocities carried out by the Sri Lankan government in the last weeks of the civil war, as a result of the pure racism and hatred inflicted upon the Tamil civilians. (2/17)

The Sri Lankan government first enclosed several Tamil individuals and families into areas labelled 'No Fire Zones', before releasing the army to shoot and kill the very civilians they promised to help. (3/17)

Tamil civilians were cramped into these areas, in a hope to form a seperate state called Tamil Eelam. Their motive was clear; the LTTE wanted to achieve peace between the Sinhalese and the Tamils, but instead became subject to mass-murder and genocide. (4/17)

Satellite images show the extent of the shelling, carried out by none other than the Sri Lankan government. No mercy was shown, and the lives of thousands upon thousands were destroyed - men, women and children. (5/17)

Images show the pain and suffering of the Tamil civilians, with makeshift hospitals being knocked down as the Sri Lankan military shelling became heavier. (6/17)

Once the majority of the area had been reduced to rubble, the army was sent once again, to kill the remaining individuals. As seen here, soldiers threw grenades into the houses in an attempt to demolish what was left. (7/17)

Sri Lanka's President, Mahinda Rajapaksa, declared a victory against the LTTE, a victory that cost thousands of innocent lives. The Government refused to evacuate the wounded, with as many as 100,000 civilians confined within the rubble. (8/17)

The month of May 2009, in particular May 18th, is remembered today by Tamils scattered all around the globe. It is a day of remembrance for all those who lost their lives. For a more extensive timeline, visit http://RememberMay2009.com . (9/17)

After the war was won, the Sri Lankan government denied that its forces committed any war crimes. However, there is an abundance of evidence, and as a result, they have strongly opposed any international investigation. (10/17)

War crimes of the government include the rape of hundreds of women, from a range of ages, by Sri Lankan soldiers. Some of the victims were killed after the rape, whereas some were merely left on the streets. Their scars remain deep, and their cries, unheard. (11/17)

Other war crimes by the Sri Lankan government include shelling, hostage taking, forced disappearance, denial of humanitarian aid, use of human shields, mass shootings and suicide bombings. (12/17)

At the most basic level, the conflict arose from the ethnic tension between Sinhalese and Tamil citizens. Tamils were discriminated against by the Sinhalese, as they were undeniably the minority within Sri Lanka. (13/17)

Acts of racial discrimination against Sri Lankan Tamils are seen in events with the 1977 anti-Tamil pogrom and 1981 burning of the Jaffna Public Library which contained ancient Tamil scriptures and writings; it is one of the most violent examples of ethnic biblioclasm. (14/17)

As a result of the inequity, the LTTE was formed, an organization that aimed to secure an independent state of Tamil Eelam in the north and east. The LTTE was involved in four unsuccessful rounds of peace talks with the Sri Lankan government. (15/17)

The severe discrimination, racial abuse and unjust inequality became the very roots of the Sri Lankan civil war. The war crimes are still unaccounted for and many Tamils have migrated to other countries in the hope for a better life. (16/17)

The Mullivaikkal Remembrance Day is observed by Sri Lankan Tamil people to remember those who died in the final stages of the Sri Lankan civil war. It is held each year on 18 May, the date on which the civil war ended. (17/17)