The Heroes’ Day (November 27), regarded as one of the most important dates in the calendar of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), went off peacefully in the Northern Province on Friday.
Tamils in the Northern and Eastern provinces had played a crucial role in the victory of Maithripala Sirirsena in the presidential election early this year against Mahinda Rajapaksa. When the LTTE was active, the day marked the day of remembrance of its members who died in combat operations with the security forces and V. Prabhakaran, founder of the organisation, had delivered speeches. In his last speech, he had conceded that the LTTE was pitted against the Sri Lankan military in an “intense war as never before” and said he wanted to “build a constructive relationship” with India.
Commenting on the observance of the day, Kandiya Sivagnanam, chairman of the Northern Provincial Council, said people in the North lit candles at different places including temples.
He added that there was “no pressure” of the police or the Army seeking to prevent the public from observing the day.
Mavai S. Senathirajah, president of the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi (ITAK) took part in an event at his party office in Jaffna and M.K. Shivajilingam, Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation (TELO)’s national organiser, lit a lamp outside the famous Nallur Kandaswamy temple. There were reports of students of the Jaffna University lighting candles within the premises of the University.
“As far as we are concerned, the people did not organise events to commemorate the LTTE, which is a banned organisation. They remembered their relatives who were no more. That’s not an offence,” said Ruwan Gunasekara, police spokesperson.
The funeral of Rajeshwaran Senthuran also took place during the day and educational institutions in the Province remained closed.
Participating in a debate on the budget, Leader of Opposition R. Sampanthan told Parliament that the death of the teenager was a reflection of the sense of frustration prevailing in the region. He called upon the government to “comprehend the message” behind the incident and take “corrective action” immediately.
On Thursday, the government came out officially with the details on the status of “political prisoners.” Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe said
There were totally 243 persons held under Prevention of Terrorism Act. Of them, 39 have been released on bail in two batches in the last 10 days. With respect to the remaining 204 persons, 56 had been convicted and 124 were undergoing trial. As for the rest 24 who had been accused of having committed “minor offences,” 20 were said to have admitted their guilt and they might undergo a rehabilitation programme.
