Maaveerar Naal was observed in Koppay today despite a high profile intimidation campaign by Sri Lankan police over the last week.

While the Koppay thuyilum illam remains inaccessible due to its occupation by the Sri Lankan army, commemorations were held in private land near the cemetery.

Families of the Maaveerar were honoured at private remembrance event in Kilinochchi ahead of the large scale commemorations planned at Kanagapuram Thuyilum Illam later in the day. 

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP for Kilinochchi, S Sritharan also attended the event to pay tribute to fallen LTTE cadre. 

Students and staff at the University of Jaffna marked Maaveerar Naal today, with the campus decorated in red and yellow, and traditional remembrance banners as well as Maaveerar songs being aired in the hours leading up to the event. 

Students and staff at Eastern University, Batticaloa held a remembrance event commemorating Maaveerar Naal today, lighting candles and paying tribute to the Maaveerar. 

A blood donation drive was also held by students in memory of the sacrifice of those who gave their lives for the Tamil liberation struggle. 

State security personnel forced people who came to commemorate Maaveerar Naal at the Kandalady LTTE cemetery in Vakarai, Batticaloa to remove the new headstones that had been planted in recent days. The military had destroyed the orignial graves in 2007.

In total 120 headstones were removed, as police threatened those attending with legal action. Mourners were not allowed to play the traditional remembrance song and were prohibited from putting up red and yellow flags. Local residents hurriedly paid their respects, not able to commemorate in peace, and rushed home as they were afraid, an attendee told the Tamil Guardian.

Local government officials at the Valikaamam East Pradesiya Sabai (Divisional Council) marked Maaveerar Naal today, paying tribute to the sacrifice of Tamils who gave their lives to the struggle for liberation. 

A heavy police and military presence surrounded local residents and the former NPC councillor, M K Shivajilingham as they made a tribute to the Maaveerar at a memorial in Koppay this morning. 

A hand painted Tamil Eelam flag was hoisted this morning outside a school in Puthukudiyiruppu as the nation marks Maaveerar Naal today. 

The image of the flag, painted on red fabric, had the words "Tamil Eelam is our mother" written at the bottom. 

The Maaveerar Naal 2018 commemorations began on Tuesday morning with an event at the Thileepan Memorial in Nallur, Jaffna.

Suspected state intelligence officials handed out gazette notifications from 2011 and told villagers they were prohibited from attending Maaveerar Naal commemorations.

Residents of Kudaththanai, in Vadamaradchi, Jaffna District, were given printed copies of the gazette notification issued during Mahinda's presidential reign. The gazette, "Prevention of Terrorism (Proscription of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) Regulations No. 1 of 2011, No. 1721/2", was given out by unknown Sinhala men, along with a warning that now that Mahinda Rajapaksa had returned as "prime minister", the laws would be enforced.

Copies were also dropped off at the local goverment offices in the village.