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Kittu Park gate destroyed in suspected arson attack

The entrance to the Kittu Memorial Park in Nallur, Jaffna was set on fire in a suspected arson attack on Sunday night.

Although the blaze was reported to the Jaffna Municipal Council fire brigade, the vehicle was occupied at another location.

A memorial service at the park in 2005.

The fire resulted in the complete destruction of the entrance facade.

The park was opened in 1994 in honour of the senior Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) official Colonel Kittu who committed suicide along with nine other cadres after being surrounded by Indian navy warships in 1993. It is frequently used for community events including tree planting in honour of fallen LTTE cadres.

The destroyed entrance

The arson attack follows the Sri Lankan state’s wholesale destruction of monuments to the Tamil liberation struggle across the North-East, after the end of the armed conflict in 2009.

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