The Mullaitivu Magistrates Court issued an order on Friday 24 November 2023, prohibiting all remembrance events and places in Mullaitivu dedicated to fallen Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cadres ahead of Maaveerar Day (27 November 2023). The order, prompted by complaints made by the Mullaitivu police department, specifically targets several individuals and organisations involved in organising the commemorative events in the district.
Following the issuance of the order, a remembrance event in Mullaitivu was disrupted after the police presented the court order to attendees.
The prohibition order also names the following individuals and organisations and bans them from further involvement in the commemorative events in Mullaitivu:
- Leaders and members of the Mullivaikkal Rural Development Society (West and East).
- Tamil National Alliance (TNA) representative, Muthukumar Vasanthan, from the Puthumaaththalan area.
- Former Northern Provincial Councillor, Durairasa Ravikaran, and his associates.
- Social activist, Peter Ilancheziyan, and his associates from the Manalkudiyiruppu area.
The Sri Lankan police are continuing to use such prohibitive court orders to disrupt remembrance events throughout the North-East. Earlier this week, the Muttur Magistrate court issued a prohibition order to 17 individuals, including TNPF leader and MP, Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam and Selvarajah Kajendran, prohibiting them from conducting Maaveerar Naal commemorative events in Trincomalee.