Former Karachchi Divisional Council member S. Jeevan has called on the Sri Lankan government to withdraw its troops from LTTE cemeteries – Maaveerar Thuyilum Illam - across the North-East, warning that only then would Tamils be able to pay homage freely at these sites of remembrance.
Speaking at the Jaffna Press Club, Jeevan said that if Colombo truly wished to honour those who laid down their lives in the struggle, then it must first withdraw the Sri Lankan military stationed in the Maaveerar Thuyilum Illams and allow the people to pay homage at these sacred grounds during remembrance events.
Jeevan also pointed to recent controversy after Sri Lanka’s Fisheries Minister attempted to pay tribute to Thiyaga Theepam Thileepan, but was prevented from doing so by security forces. The move sparked widespread condemnation.
“But was his intent truly to pay homage with sincerity?” Jeevan asked. “Did he, in past years, ever honour our martyrs? Or is this visit merely a calculated gesture, timed with the ongoing UN Human Rights Council sessions, to signal to the international community that Tamils are being allowed to commemorate, and that even the ministers have been permitted to participate?”
He noted that at the Visuvamadu Thuyilum Illam only about ten Sri Lankan soldiers remain. “Those soldiers themselves had said they were ready to vacate if instructed by their higher command. It is well within the authority of the President to issue such an order,” he said.
Jeevan stressed that dismantling military camps located inside the Heroes’ Cemeteries of the North and East was a basic step required to show respect for Tamil sentiments.
Turning to wider grievances, Jeevan criticised Sri Lankan president Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s government for failing to deliver on promises of development in the North, despite being in power for a year.
He highlighted the long-delayed repair of the Valai Paadu–Kiranchi road in Kilinochchi. “Under the previous government, Douglas Devananda laid a cornerstone. Under the present government, Chandrasekar also laid a cornerstone. But no progress has followed,” he said, warning that with the monsoon approaching, residents would once again face severe hardship.
He also called for urgent repairs to other key routes, including the Chundikkulam, Kalumadu and Mukkomban roads.
Jeevan further condemned the suspension of housing schemes initiated under Sajith Premadasa. He noted that many families had begun building with partial funds, pawning jewellery or taking out bank loans to cover costs. Now, with funding halted, their homes remain unfinished, their jewellery unrecoverable, and their livelihoods in jeopardy.
He urged Colombo to release the remaining funds “so that these Tamil families might at least complete their homes and reclaim their pawned jewellery”.
