Thousands gather peacefully to commemorate their war dead in N&E

Thousands of Tamil people across North and Eastern Provinces gathered in designated cemeteries and symbolic memorial spaces to mark the annual commemorative event peacefully remembering their war dead this evening.

The annual event of remembering the war dead commenced at 6.05 pm with lighting oil lamps by relatives who lost their loved ones during the war followed by one minute silence. 

Relatives also engaged in religious prayers according to their respective religious beliefs and prayed for the souls lost during the nearly three decades long war that came to an end in 2009. 

Similar events were held in all eight districts at the same time in the two provinces. In Kilinochchi, hundreds travelled from various parts of the province to attend the ceremony at Kanagapuram Martyrs cemetery- the largest cemetery in the district.

Even today, just hours before the event, police sought stay orders from various districts in the two provinces to stop the ceremonies claiming that the locals are trying to remember the terrorists. 

Three such Magistrate courts in Jaffna today refused to grant stay orders sought by police to ban annual commemoration events to mark the war dead on the basis of public nuisance. The annual Martyr’s Day or Maveerar Naal is scheduled to be observed this evening by war affected communities across North and Eastern provinces. 

Magistrate Courts in Jaffna, Point Pedro, Kayts rejected police applications to ban the events but stressed that police can take actions if there are any illegal activities carried out at the events. 

Last week, several courts refused to grant such similar applications filed by the police in the two provinces. Police sought early stay orders from the magistrate under the Code of Criminal Procedure Section 106 (1), saying that these events were being organised to commemorate the terrorists who belonged to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a terrorist organisation banned in the country. The police argued that if allowed, it would cause enmity among communities and disrupt normalcy in the region.

The annual Martyrs’ Day, known as “Maveerar Day,” was introduced by the LTTE to commemorate its fallen cadres in its dedicated cemeteries on November 27 as a major public event.

Following the end of the war, many such cemeteries were either destroyed or new buildings were put up by security authorities. Currently, family members, relatives, and those who lost their loved ones during the war assemble near those cemeteries to mark the day to remember their war dead.

Earlier Inspector General of Police (IGP) and the Director of the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID), meanwhile, gave an undertaking to the Court of Appeal (CA) this week that they would take action under common law and the Code of Criminal Procedure against any attempt to commemorate the LTTE. The undertaking was given by Senior State Counsel Shamindra Wickrama, who appeared for the IGP.

The IGP and TID Director gave the undertaking when the CA took up a writ petition filed by Ananda Jayamanna, a retired military intelligence officer, requesting an order to enforce the law against any event being held to commemorate the LTTE and its late leader Velupilai Prabhakaran.

Pixs from the event held at the symbolic Martyrs cemetery in Kodikamam today.