Sri Lankan police prevented dozens of Tamils, including a member of parliament, from commemorating Maaveerar Naal at the site of a cemetery housing the war dead earlier today, forcing them to light lamps on the roadsides of Amparai.
Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) leader Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam was amongst those present attempting to reach the Kanchikkudiyaru Thuyilum Illam this morning.
Efforts to obstruct them began when Sri Lankan police officers pasted the court order on the front gate of TNPF activist Thushanthan’s home.
As others attempted to travel towards the cemetery, the Sri Lankan security forces started stopping buses and carrying out random stop-and-search checks.
As they drew closer to the cemetery, the security forces refused to allow them through.
After fiery altercations with the police, Ponnambalam and others were eventually forced to light lamps on the roadside to commemorate Maaveerar Naal.
The incident comes amidst a spate of efforts by the state to stifle commemorations, particularly in the East. In Batticaloa, riot police were deployed to pull down decorations during the remembrance ceremony, whilst uniformed officers in Alampil began dismantling decorations earlier in the morning.
