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Plainclothed Sri Lankan military officers took photographs of Tamils preparing for Maaveerar Naal at Koppay Thuyilum Illam.
Maaveerar Naal - or Great Heroes Day - remembers those who sacrificed their lives in the Tamil liberation struggle, and is marked on November 27, in memory of the first death of a Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam cadre, Lt Col. Shankar who died in combat on November 27, 1982.
Locals begin preparations for the day during November but are usually subjected to harassment and intimidation by Sri Lanka's security forces. Earlier this week in Mullaitivu, Sri Lankan soldiers also took photographs of Tamils as they began clearing the Theravil Thuyilum Illam.
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In 1995, Koppay Thuyilum Illam was destroyed by the Sri Lankan army but was later rebuilt by the LTTE during the 2002 ceasefire. Koppay Thuyilum Illam, where at least 2,000 LTTE cadres are reported to have been buried, was bulldozed over by the Sri Lankan state in 2010. Now, the Sri Lankan military's 51 Division base now stands on top of it.
Since the army have occupied the land, locals have held Maaveerar Naal commemoration events outside the camp.
