Facebook icon
Twitter icon
e-mail icon

Sri Lankan army threatens Mullaitivu businesses closed on Maaveerar Naal

The Sri Lankan army threatened business owners in Mullaitivu who had closed in respect of Maaveerar Naal, the Tamil national remembrance day of fallen LTTE fighters.

Amidst an intensifying crackdown in the North-East over the commemoration of Maaveerar Naal, this year marks the first time since 2016 that Tamils have been forbidden from mourning their loved ones at their thuyilum illams (resting places). 

An overwhelming presence of army troops and police has ramped up civilian intimidation and surveillance in the homeland. 

Earlier today, as a mark of protest against the court ban on Maaveerar Naal, shop-owners in Pudhukudiyiruppu and Mullaitivu had put up the shutter to their establishments. 

It is reported that the army and police have visited these two areas and demanded that the shopkeepers open the outlets. Shop owners also reported receiving intimidating calls from intelligence officers insisting they open.

Most businesses remained defiant in the face of the military threats and kept their shopfronts shut.

We need your support

Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.

Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view

We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.

For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.