Heroes’ Day: Tamils free to remember and pay homage to their war dead
In northern and eastern Sri Lanka, people held a peaceful day of remembrance on 27 November for their civil war dead. Despite bad weather, they laid flowers, candles, and fruit in Maaveerar Thuyilam Illam, heroes’ final homes. No restrictions were imposed under the new government. Muthukumara, a businessman from Colombo told AsiaNews, that “everyone is a human being,” urging the government “to go ahead with peace.”
Colombo (AsiaNews) – Flowers, lamps, candles, coconuts and other fruit are, according to Tamil tradition, offered on 27 November to remember the war dead. Despite heavy rains and the threat of Cyclone Fengal, communities in the northern and eastern Sri Lanka observed "Maaveerar Naal", Great Heroes' Day, in memory of those who died during the country’s civil war (1983-2009).
On this occasion, lamps are lit and solemn prayers recited. But for Tamils, this is the first time in 15 years that they can freely commemorate their dead. Many people in southern Sri Lanka who spoke to AsiaNews said that peaceful remembrance "is a right of Tamils".
Unlike previous years, the recently installed National People's Power administration of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has not tried to impose legal restrictions or tried to stop commemorations.
The families of those who lost loved ones joined in common prayers, gathering in places called "Maaveerar Thuyilam Illam", or Heroes’ Homes, for the fallen in war, but also in temples and churches, to pay tribute.
Special platforms supported by poles were erected to allow people to pay their respect to those who fought with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) for the freedom of their traditional homeland in the northern and eastern regions of the island.
According to reporters covering events in the northern and eastern provinces, more than 200 cemeteries were visited, in almost every district in this part of the country
Ramalingam Chandrasekar, the new Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic and Ocean Resources, said that the government would not stop those who wanted to celebrate "Maaveerar Naal", noting that they have the right to do so.
At the "Thuyilum Illam" in Kanagapuram, tributes were paid to the fallen, while hundreds of people decorated the place with red and yellow flags, waving in the rain and wind, witnesses reported.
This scene was repeated at other cemeteries in Mullaitivu Theravil, Mannar Atkattiveli and Jaffna Kodikamam, where friends and family, including children, gathered.
Fifteen years after the end of the civil war, which saw the LTTE’s fight for a Tamil homeland crushed, the parents of those who lost their lives against the Sri Lankan army, paid homage to their sons and daughters.
In Jaffna and eastern Batticaloa, Tamils peacefully paid their respect at the Tharavai cemetery and the campus of the Eastern University. People showed up in large numbers with flowers, candles, and incense sticks. Events were also organised in Tharmapuram, Killinochi District, at the "Maaveerar Thuyilum Illam" in Koppai and at the University of Jaffna.
In Mullaitivu, soldiers and police did not interfere with Heroes’ Day preparations, but the organising committee reports ongoing surveillance and intimidation by the intelligence service.
In Mullivaikkal, where the last battle took place, the parents of the war dead, their relatives, former LTTE members, and the public gathered, braving the pouring rain, and paid solemn tribute.
Politicians in the northern and eastern provinces also joined the commemorations held in their respective regions. They include the leader of the All Ceylon Tamil Congress (part of the Tamil National People's Front), and Jaffna District MP Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, Batticaloa District MP Shanakkiyan Rasamanikkam, and Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization leader and Vanni District MP Selvam Adaikalanathan.
"We in the south and even past governments every year considered this anniversary as a great terrorist act carried out by Tamils. This is quite wrong. Everyone is a human being. Those who died are also their relatives,” said Namal Muthukumara, a businessman from Colombo, speaking to AsiaNews.
“If a man does not allow another man to commemorate his dead relatives, then who will? We are happy. This is the first year we have not heard any court order or harassment by the police and the army against the people commemorating this day. This government should go ahead with peace,” he added.
A woman working for a private company in Colombo, Mala Karunaseeli, also spoke to AsiaNews. “When will the people of this country forgive and shake hands with the innocent Tamils in the north and the east? People should forget the wrongs of the past and unite in peace for the good of all human beings.”
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19/05/2021 17:35
