Drone footage shows preparations for the 36th Maaveerar Naal have been completed at Kanagapuram Thuyilum Illam in Kilinochchi this evening. Kanagapuram, a short distance from Kilinochchi town was one of the largest Thuyilum Illams built and maintained by the LTTE in the North-East. It was bulldozed over by the Sri Lankan state following the end of the armed conflict. The remnants of broken gravestones have been collected to form a makeshift monument ahead of tomorrow's Maaveerar Naal event. Over recent years, Tamils have gathered at Kanagapuram Thuyilum in large numbers to commemorate the...
Sri Lankan police have prohibited the use of the karthigai poo - the Tamil national flower - at Maaveerar Naal commemorations in Mullaitivu. Former Northern Provincial Council member Thurairasa Ravikaran alongside other Maaveerar Naal organiseers were at Iraddai Vaikkal Thuyilum Illam when they were approached by Sri Lankan police officers. Ravikaran told the police officers that "we haven't used Prabhakaran's photo, we haven't used any LTTE photos either. We are thinking about our relatives when we mark this day." The police claimed that the karthigai poo is an "LTTE symbol" but Ravikaran...
The Mullaitivu Magistrates Court issued an order on Friday 24 November 2023, prohibiting all remembrance events and places in Mullaitivu dedicated to fallen Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cadres ahead of Maaveerar Day (27 November 2023). The order, prompted by complaints made by the Mullaitivu police department, specifically targets several individuals and organisations involved in organising the commemorative events in the district.
In advance of the 36th Maaveerar Naal commemoration, Tamils across the homeland are preparing cemeteries to pay tribute to those who sacrificed their lives in the armed struggle.
The 69 th birthday of Velupillai Prabhakaran, the leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), was marked at several locations in Jaffna earlier today, including outside his childhood home. Former MP M K Shivajilingam cut a cake in Valvettithurai, the leader's hometown, to mark the day. Locals also distributed sweets and lit firecrackers, as an increased Sri Lankan security presence was reported. Prabhakaran’s childhood home was demolished by the Sri Lankan state in 2010. Meanwhile, University of Jaffna students cut a cake in secret in front of his portrait to celebrate his 69th...
Sri Lanka’s Inspector General of Police (IGP) and the Director of the Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) pledged to take legal action against those who attempted to mark Maaveerar Naal, as Tamils across the North-East geared up to commemorate their fallen fighters on Monday. Both the IGP and head of the TID gave an undertaking to Court of Appeal, the second most senior court in the Sri Lankan legal system, through Senior State Counsel Shaminda Wickrema, stating that any individuals who marked the day would be investigated under the Criminal Procedure Code. It came after a retired Sri...
A book titled 'Enathu Makkalin Viduthalaikkaga' (translated as 'For the Liberation of My People'), a compilation of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) leader Velupillai Prabhakaran's memoirs from 1984 to 2009, was launched in London, United Kingdom on Sunday 12 November 2023. The event was attended by representatives of various Tamil entities in London, families of fallen LTTE cadres, associations, Tamil Eelam activists, journalists, and members of the diaspora. The book release event was initiated by the unveiling of the Tamil Eelam and UK flag. Continuing this, a 'Parai Isai', the...
The Tamil nation, in the homeland and in the diaspora, holds steadfastly to records of the liberation struggle. The well-known dates and the lesser known dates are tirelessly observed. Heroes are canonised in the Maaveerar Naal calendar. But with the destruction of LTTE records and cemeteries, it becomes inevitable that some names are lost to us, at least momentarily. The record of Muslim fighters remains incomplete. Their contribution to the Tamil struggle for liberation is often overlooked in the mainstream commemoration of Maaveerar Naal.
Following the publication of the European Commission’s assessment reports on the EU’s Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP), Human Rights Watch (HRW) has issued a statement stressing the need to reform the trade regulations to ensure that rights-abusing states are held to account. “The EU GSP reports show that some countries seem to be on notice that their trade benefits depend on their human rights record, while others fear no consequence for their abuses,” said Claudio Francavilla, senior EU advocate at Human Rights Watch. The EU’s report on Sri Lanka, whilst noting Sri Lanka’s continued...
The Officers in Charge at Jaffna and Koppay police stations have filed a petition at Jaffna Magistrate's Court today, seeking a ban on Maaveerar Naal commemorations in the peninsula. The petition has specifically sought a ban on commemorations taking place at the University of Jaffna, Koppay Thuyilum Illam and at Lt Col Thileepan's memorial in Nallur, Jaffna. At the court hearing, the judge said the judgement will be adjourned until Monday morning. As Maaveerar Naal draws closer, Sri Lanka has ramped up its attempt to crackdown on all memorialisation events in the North-East. Earlier today in...