The People for Relief and Equality in Lanka (PEARL) highlights that on Maaveerar Naal, Eelam Tamils commemorate fallen LTTE cadres but also “reinforce their nationhood and the shared understanding of the political paradigm where they choose their own future and live free of state oppression.”
In a statement to mark the 36th Maaveerar Naal, the US based advocacy organisation said that “Tamils stand for their right to memorialization as boldly as ever” in spite of intimidation and harassment by the state’s forces in the lead up to and on Maaveerar Naal.
The organisation also highlighted the ongoing Sinhala colonisation and heavy militarisation of the homeland but “Tamil resistance remains a strong and sustainable opposition to the Sinhala-Buddhist majoritarian framework that affects the whole island.”
“It is clear that the only pathway to a sustainable political solution for the Tamils is through devolution and meaningful self-determination, which includes the Tamil nation’s own political and economic ties to the world, escaping Colombo’s failed policies,” the statement concluded.
Read the full statement here.
