Vice President of Tamil political party arrested under PTA for providing meals to Maaveerar families
The Vice President of the Crusaders for Democracy party has been arrested under the notorious Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) for providing meals to the families of fallen LTTE cadres earlier today. N Nagules was questioned and arrested by Vellavaly police while he was at an event honouring the relatives of those who gave their lives in the armed liberation struggle. He was produced in court and will be remanded until December 7. Police also took down the red and yellow bunting and posters that were put up by the organisers of the event. The arrest comes as Sri Lanka clamps down on...
Speaking in the House of Commons on Thursday, MP for Mitcham and Morden, Siobhain McDonagh, slammed raised concerns over the newly appointed foreign secretary’s, David Cameron’s, engagement with China and promotion of the Chinese-backed “Port City Colombo”. Cameron’s engagement with the project has caused controversy as the projected will be constructed and operated by the state-run China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC). McDonagh noted in her statement that the CHEC is “a Chinese state enterprise that was sanctioned by the US government and blacklisted for bribery by the World Bank”. In...
Families of fallen LTTE cadres were honoured in another event in Mullaitivu and Jaffna yesterday as the Tamil nation marks Maaveerar remembrance week. Mallavi, Mullaitivu At the event in Mallavi, the mother of three fallen LTTE cadres lit the sacrificial lamp before flowers were laid to remember the tens of thousands of Tamils that gave their lives to the liberation struggle. The event was attended by the parents of Maaveerar from Mallavi, Pandiankulam and Thunukai. Tamil National People's Front leader Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam and lawyer Kandeepan were also present on the occasion...
Headstones at Vaharai Thuyilum Illam have been demolished and Tamil activists have been harrassed as Sri Lanka intensifies its crackdown on Maaveerar Naal in the Eastern province.
Four Sri Lankan police officers collected the personal details of Tamils at Uduthurai Thuyilum Illam this morning as they were making preparations ahead of Maaveerar Naal. Each year on Maaveerar Naal, Tamils gather at Thuyilum Illams across the North-East to remember the tens of thousands of LTTE cadres that gave their lives to the liberation struggle. Magistrate courts in the Northern Province have granted permission for Maaveerar Naal commemorations to take place. Despite this, Sri Lankan police have continued in their attempts to repress any memorialisation activities. Earlier this week,...
A court in Jaffna has ordered the arrest of Sri Lankan police officers over their involvement in the killing of a Tamil youth, who was tortured to death in custody last week. 25-year-old Nagarasa Alex died last week, after being arrested and tortured by Sri Lankan police. A post-mortem examination revealed “multiple injuries” that led to his death. The Jaffna magistrate ruled it a homicide and ordered the arrest of four Sri Lankan police officers.
The Muttur magistrate court issued a prohibition order to 17 individuals, including Tamil National People's Front (TNPF) leader and MP, Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, and TNPF MP Selvarajah Kajendran, prohibiting them from conducting Maaveerar Naal commemoration events in Trincomalee. The court order was issued on Thursday in response to a complaint made by the Sambur police, as fallen Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) fighters were being commemorated at the Sambur Alankulam Maveerar Thuyilum Illam at the time the order was issued. Maaveerar Naal is observed by Tamils around the world on...
Valaichenai police have demolished a memorial erected at Tharavai Thuyilum Illam, Batticaloa, to commemorate fallen LTTE cadres on Maaveerar Naal.
The Tamil National Green Organisation opened its annual 'Karthikai Vaasam' flower garden at Kittu Memorial Park in Nallur, Jaffna today and honoured fallen LTTE cadres. Participants were welcomed with a Karthikai flower - gloriosa superba - before a sacrificial lamp was lit by the mother of a fallen female LTTE cadre, in memory of the tens of thousands of Tamil fighters who gave their lives in the liberation struggle. Since the end of the armed conflict, the planting of trees in November has become a form of commemoration of those who died fighting for the Tamil struggle. Kittu Memorial Park...
Mahinda Rajapaksa, Sri Lanka’s former president and credibly accused war criminal, celebrated his birthday surrounded by friends and family last week, including current Sri Lankan president Ranil Wickremesinghe. In video footage shared widely across social media, the elder Rajapaksa is seen cutting a birthday cake adorned with sparklers. Amongst those around him are his younger brother and former defence secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who also stands accused of war crimes, and Wickremesinghe, who has refused to investigate them. Rajapaksa turned 78 years old last week. In January 2023, Canada...