In a wide-ranging interview by First Post, Sri Lanka’s president, Ranil Wickremesinghe, claimed that Tamils have accepted his "offer" on the subject of Tamil autonomy and rejected India’s statement at the UN Human Rights Council that "progress has been inadequate".

Thousands of Tamils gathered in Nallur on Monday to commemorate Maaveerar Naal and pay tribute to those who died for the liberation of Tamil Eelam.

See photographs and video from the event in Nallur below.

Sri Lankan police officers disrupted and blocked Tamils trying to mark Maaveerar Naal in Alankulam, Trincomalee yesterday.

A group of Tamil youth and mothers were stopped by Sri Lankan police as they tried to make their way to Alankulam Thuyilum Illam to pay their respects to fallen LTTE cadres. However, the police put up roadblocks to obstruct them accessing the LTTE cemetery. 

Students and family members gathered to remember the Ayyankkulam massacre in Mullaitivu, where 6 students and 2 healthcare workers were killed by the Sri Lankan army.  

Hundreds of Tamils in Oxford, England, joined Tamils in the homeland and across the diaspora in marking Maaveerar Naal. 

A similar event was also held at the ExCel convention centre in London yesterday. 

See more photographs from Oxford below: 

A young Tamil man has been arrested in Jaffna today for wearing a t-shirt with LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran's face on the front.

The 27 year old from Iyanar Kovil in Kodikamam had worn the t-shirt to a Maaveerar Naal remembrance event in Kodikamam yesterday evening. 

The back of the t-shirt also featured the leaper tiger and crossed bayonets from the Tamil Eelam flag on the back. 

Maaveerar Naal commemorations were held at several locations across the Mullaitivu district, including the traditional Thuyilum Illams, as well as those that were later introduced to serve as resting places for those who fell in battle in the final stages of the armed conflict.

Visuvamadu

Thousands gather across Mannar at LTTE cemeteries to mark Maaveerar Naal. Remembrance events were also held at the Lady of Victory Church in Pesalai.

Commemorations took place despite a Sri Lankan crackdown this week, which intensified this morning.

Maaveerar Naal is marked on November 27 in memory of the first death of a Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam cadre (LTTE), Lt. Shankar who died in combat on November 27, 1982.

Aadkattiveli Thuyilum Ilam 

Despite state attempts at denying permission to conduct any Maaveerar Naal remembrance events, students expressed their unwavering commitment by gathering in solidarity. During the days leading up to Maaveerar Naal, Officers in Charge at Jaffna police station had filed a petition at Jaffna Magistrate's Court, seeking a ban on Maaveerar Naal commemorations in the peninsula. The petition had specifically sought a ban on commemorations taking place at the University of Jaffna.

Many united to pay tribute to the fallen LTTE cadres at the Mavadi Munmari Thuyilum Illam on Maaveerar Naal. See photographs from the event below.