The Sri Lankan military have set up new checkpoints on the A9 and A32 highways in the lead up to Maaveerar Naal, the Tamil national remembrance day for fallen Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cadres.
The road block style checkpoints come as a series of court bans have been imposed over the last week, ordering Tamil activists and politicians not to hold or participate in Maaveerar Naal remembrance events.
Every year in the lead up to and on Maaveerar Naal the state's security forces escalate their presence across the North-East to block any commemoration events from taking place.
Although the armed conflict ended over a decade ago, consecutive Sri Lankan governments have failed to demilitarise the North-East. Instead, the military have an inflated presence throughout the region and have encroached civilian life and functions.
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