Sri Lanka's Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananda Wijepala told parliament on 9 June that the government would not permit any activities that could be seen as promoting the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), while also claiming that individuals remained free to observe commemorations for relatives who died during the conflict.
Wijepala said an arrest had been made after a song "originally associated with the LTTE" was allegedly uploaded to Facebook. He added that the Inspector General of Police had held discussions with the Attorney General's Department regarding the matter and that appropriate legal action was expected to follow.
"We have repeatedly stated in this House that there will be no room for activities that promote the LTTE. However, there is an opportunity for people to remember their deceased relatives," the minister said.
The remarks were a public defence of the detention of Tamil rapper Sangeethsan Ganeskumar, known as Hiphop Sangee, who was arrested on 2 June under the Prevention of Terrorism Act after videos of a musical performance in Navatkuli, Chavakachcheri were shared on social media. Sangeethsan is 24 years old and from Udayanagar, Kilinochchi. He has been remanded without charge.
The distinction the minister draws between promotion and remembrance has been applied in ways that leave Tamils with almost no space for freedo ox expression say many Tamils. Ahead of Maaveerar Naal in November 2025, Wijepala confirmed that photographs of fallen fighters remained prohibited at commemorations, despite his simultaneous claim that remembrance was permitted.
The NPP government's position on this case has also been undermined from within. Tamil Progressive Alliance leader Mano Ganesan pointed out that NPP politicians had themselves circulated songs glorifying the LTTE during election campaigns, a charge the government has struggled to answer. An NPP parliamentarian acknowledged that such songs had appeared on NPP social media during the campaign period, while declining personal responsibility for the posts.
Sangeethsan has been remanded until 17 June, with a fundamental rights petition to be filed before Sri Lanka's Supreme Court on his behalf by President's Counsel M. A. Sumanthiran. Protests demanding his release have taken place across the North-East, and international pressure has grown, with the mayor of Brampton calling for his immediate release and Amnesty International citing his case in renewed calls to repeal the PTA without delay.
