Sri Lanka’s response to Cyclone Ditwah has come under intense scrutiny, as the death toll climbs into the hundreds and survivors accuse the National People’s Power (NPP) government of failures in early warning, coordination and basic communication - particularly in Tamil.

Tamils gathered in Auckland, New Zealand to mark Maaveerar Naal 2025. 

The event began with the hoisting of the New Zealand flag and the Tamil Eelam flag which was hoisted by Mrs Nadarasa Wigneswary, the sister of two fallen LTTE cadres. 

Attendees laid flowers on symbolic gravestones, designed to resemble those that once stood at the cemeteries built by the LTTE in the North-East. 

Maaveerar Naal - or Great Heroes' Day - was commemorated by Tamils in Palermo, Italy, in honour of the fighters who sacrificed their lives in the armed struggle for liberation. 

Thousands of Tamils gathered at Messe Basel in Switzerland to mark Maaveerar Naal 2025.

The remembrance event began with the hoisting of the Tamil Eelam flag and the lighting of the memorial lamp. 

Flooding across Mullaitivu has forced thousands from their homes, severed major road links and left regions without electricity or telecommunications, as disaster officials warn that the true scale of damage remains unknown due to communication blackouts.

Sri Lanka’s cabinet has approved the creation of a new “Rebuilding Sri Lanka” Fund in the wake of Cyclone Ditwah, but drawn criticism for not including women, Tamil representatives from the North-East or the hill-country community, and having no independent technical experts.

Instead, the leadership is dominated by senior figures from Colombo’s corporate sector.

Sri Lanka has appealed for at least Rs 31 billion in international assistance after catastrophic floods inflicted widespread damage across the island, destroying farmland, breaching irrigation systems and derailing the government’s attempts to stabilise the economy.

Sri Lanka’s navy has confirmed that all five personnel who went missing during a flood-mitigation operation in Chundikkulam have died, as search teams recovered their bodies.

As Cyclone Ditwah battered Sri Lanka this week, Tamil speakers complained of being left without life-saving information, as state institutions issued disaster warnings in Sinhala and English alone.