Three parents of fallen Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) are fasting unto death to demand the release of the Alampil Thuyilum Illam which is currently being occupied by the Sri Lankan army's 23rd Regiment.
A father and two mothers stated that the occupation of the destroyed Thuyilum Illam prevents them and other families from remembering and mourning their relatives who gave their lives in the Tamil struggle for liberation.
Thuyilum Illams – Resting Places – were constructed by the LTTE in the 1990s for their fighters. Thuyilum Illams across the Tamil homeland were destroyed both during the armed conflict and later bulldozed over by the Sri Lankan state following the Tamil genocide in 2009.
"My son is buried at Alampil but we can't do anything at the Thuyilum Illam - we can't even light a lamp there. The army are playing cricket and farming on the land so we've decided to go on a hunger strike," the father of a fallen LTTE cadre said.
"We will fast unto death unless our demand is met," he added.
The hunger strikers have appealed to Tamil political parties and the state in the past to provide a solution to the issue of the occupied land and accused them of failing to protect the rights of the Tamil people.
Each year on November 27, Tamils in the homeland and across the diaspora mark Maaveerar Naal - or Great Heroes' Day- to commemorate the sacrifice of the thousands of LTTE fighters who lost their lives in the armed conflict. Before the Sri Lankan state destroyed the cemetries, relatives of the fallen cadres would visit the cemetries to place flowers and other offerings.
Although the cemetries have been destroyed by the state, Tamils still gather at the Thuyilum Illams on Maaveerar Naal to pay their respects despite efforts by the state to obstruct any memorialisation activities. Organisers of remembrance events are also subjected to routine harassment and surveillance by the state in an attempt to repress any commemorations.
In spite of this, Tamils in the North-East continue to observe Maaveerar Naal to the best of their abilities.
