Batticaloa court bans seven individuals from participating in Maaveerar Naal commemorations

by Sharmini
Nov 22, 2021

Kokkadichcholai police officer hands court order to former TNA MP  P Ariyenthran. Photograph courtesy of Pathivu.

Seven individuals, including Tamil MPs, have been banned from participating in any commemoration events to mark Maaveerar Naal. 

Batticaloa Magistrate Court issued an order following a request from Kokkdaichcholai police, banning individuals, including Tamil MPs from participating in events from November 20th to the 27th. Former Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP Ariyenthran and TNA MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam are amongst those included in the court order. 

Pathivu reported that the order also bans any events to celebrate the birthday of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, which falls on November 26. 

This follows a series of court bans across the North-East prohibiting Tamil people from taking part in Maaveerar Naal commemorations. Sri Lanka's security forces have also ramped up their presence across the region in an attempt to stifle Tamil memorialisation. 

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