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Thileepan memorial cleaned ahead of commemorations

The memorial for Lt. Col. Thileepan was cleaned this week in preparation for commemorative events later this month. 

The memorial, located in Nallur, Jaffna, had previously been destroyed by the Sri Lankan military. 

Earlier this year, the Jaffna Municipal Council decided that they would renovate it, with plans that the monument will be rebuilt to its former design, which originally included a 23-foot pillar.

The Tamil National People's Front (TNPF) recently re-built the barrier surrounding the memorial to ensure the memorial was not misused. 

Construction workers who erected the barrier were harassed by intelligence officers as security forces attempt to stifle plans to commemorate Lt. Col. Thileepan’s fast next month.

Lt. Col. Thileepan, a political wing leader of the LTTE, fasted to death in September 1987 during a hunger strike. 

He began his fast on the September 15, 1987, putting forward 5 key demands to the Indian government. 

Over 100,000 people gathered around the historic Nallur Kandwaswamy Temple in Jaffna in support.  

 

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