Four Sri Lankan police officers collected the personal details of Tamils at Uduthurai Thuyilum Illam this morning as they were making preparations ahead of Maaveerar Naal.
Each year on Maaveerar Naal, Tamils gather at Thuyilum Illams across the North-East to remember the tens of thousands of LTTE cadres that gave their lives to the liberation struggle.
Magistrate courts in the Northern Province have granted permission for Maaveerar Naal commemorations to take place. Despite this, Sri Lankan police have continued in their attempts to repress any memorialisation activities.
Earlier this week, Mallakam Magistrate Court rejected a number of petitions filed by Sri Lankan police to ban Maaveerar Naal commemorations in Jaffna this week. Petitions filed by Manipay, Palaly, Thellipalai and Achuveli police were all dismissed by Mallakam Magistrate Court.
Locals also gathered at Uduthurai Thuyilum Illam on Tuesday to mark the first day of Maaveerar remembrance week.
The tombstones of fallen LTTE cadres, which were destroyed by the Sri Lankan army, were placed together to form a large monument in memory of those who sacrificed their lives in the Tamil struggle for liberation.
Thuyilum Illams - resting places - were built across the North-East by the LTTE in the 1990s. Thuyilum Illams were destroyed both during the armed conflict and later bulldozed over by the Sri Lankan state following the Tamil genocide in 2009. In some areas, the Sri Lankan army have built over them and set up their army bases.
