Normalcy in many districts of North affected today due to a hartal campaign called by Tamil political parties and civil society groups condemning government decision to ban commemorative events to remember late Rasanayaham Partheepan alias Thileepan, former LTTE Political Wing Commander who passed away in 1987 following a fast-unto death campaign.
Schools, shops and public markets were closed due to limited local transport facilities. Many roads were seen empty. The Tamil political parties who came under one umbrella against the government decision accused the government of denying the right of Tamil people to remember the dead in addition to oppressing them.
They called for a hartal campaign to be organized in North and East today against the government decision.
Earlier, Tamil political parties and civil society groups held a token fast at Chavakachcheri Sivan Kovil to commemorate late Thileepan after police secured court orders from various Magistrate courts against organizing any commemoration events in Jaffna
The parties collectively wrote to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa last week urging him to allow the commemoration events stressing that Tamil speaking people have a right to mourn for their dead.
Pix by N. Lohathayalan
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