Published 11:29 GMT

Thousands of Tamils have started streaming through the doors at the ExCel convention centre in London's Docklands, as the UK's Maaveerar Naal remembrance event opened its doors a little while earlier.

 

 

In amidst the Sri Lankan government's stifling repression of any acts of remembrance, staff at the Jaffna based newspaper, the Uthayan, planted trees and donating blood today.

 

The Chief Minister of the Northern Provincial Council, CV Wigneswaran, was blocked from planting trees at the Thanthai Chelva memorial square in Jaffna, in remembrance of Heroes Day.

The CM and three of his councillors proceeded to plant trees on the premises of the provincial council’s education ministry.

The Indian government is continuing its post-CHOGM boycott grovelling to Sri Lanka, by sending a navy ship to the island on a “goodwill visit”, on the day Tamils mark their fallen.

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After braving the Sri Lankan government's intimidatory measures in the run up to Maaveerar Naal, Eelam Tamils across the North-East, defied government bans to remember those that lost their lives in the struggle against genocide, whilst facing further intimidation and violence.
(Pictures:Tamilnet)

Families of Maaveerar remember the sacrifice of their loved ones

Days after the camera crews surrounding the British Premier left, yet more land grab continues, with over 25 acres to be given to 22 Sinhala settler families in Kokuthodduvai, Mullaitheevu district, report Uthayan and TamilWin on Monday.

Thurairaasa Ravikaran, a Northern Provincial member, said he visited the area after locals compained about trees being cut down and land cleared by people speaking Sinhala.

Speaking in Parliament today, TNA MP, Sivagnanam Sritharan, outlined that the majority of the Tamil people in the North-East had voted for the TNA to support the ideals of the LTTE leader Vellupillai Prabhakaran.

Sritharan further reiterated that the Tamil people had a right to commemorate the Tamil cadres that lost their lives in the ethnic conflict.

Asserting that the Tamil people had a right to commemorate the Tamil cadres that lost their lives in the ethnic conflict, Mr Sritharan said, "tomorrow, each Tamil, will think of the Maaveerar from morning till dusk."

The Sri Lankan born Tamil poet and Norwegian citizen Shanmugampillai Jayapalan, who was arrested by the Terrorist Investigative Department (TID) on Friday, will be deported by Sri Lankan immigration, confirmed the Government Information Department today.

The Sri Lankan government's heightened repression of any acts of remembrance commemorating fallen LTTE cadre, in the run up to this year's Maaveerar Naal (Heroes' Day) on November 27th, has been met with Tamil defiance.

Following on from LSE and UCL, the ‘Breaking the Silence’ genocide awaresness exhibition travelled to the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) earlier this week.