Sri Lanka's ‘Black July' is not over yet and the nation is not yet reconciled, the Christian Solidarity Movement (CSM) said on Monday at a meeting in Colombo

Preman Fernando, a member of the CSM, opened the ceremony by talking about the country's current situation, now that civil war is over.

“Normally, a post war period is peaceful, without violence, but is this the reality in our country today? Maybe we do not hear shots fired, but people are still dying from the consequences of the war,” he said.

“We must tell society that 81,000 widows still live in this land,” he added, “that the military is still patrolling two thirds of the country, that many people are still displaced after they lost their homes or were forced to give their land over to the government. We are still living in the so-called ‘Black July'.”

“We, as Christians, cannot marginalise people on the basis of religion, ethnicity or race,” said Mahinda Namal, another CSM member. “We have the right to build a national state that is for everyone.”

At the end of the commemoration, CSM Coordinator Fr Rohan de Silva said“ Until the rights of everyone and every community are recognised, we shall never achieve peace. In order to attain it, we must have dialogue at all levels. This is the CSM's philosophy.”