Sri Lankan army threatens Mullaitivu businesses closed on Maaveerar Naal

 27 November 2020

The Sri Lankan army threatened business owners in Mullaitivu who had closed in respect of Maaveerar Naal, the Tamil national remembrance day of fallen LTTE fighters.

Amidst an intensifying crackdown in the North-East over the commemoration of Maaveerar Naal, this year marks the first time since 2016 that Tamils have been forbidden from mourning their loved ones at their thuyilum illams (resting places). 

An overwhelming presence of army troops and police has ramped up civilian intimidation and surveillance in the homeland. 

Earlier today, as a mark of protest against the court ban on Maaveerar Naal, shop-owners in Pudhukudiyiruppu and Mullaitivu had put up the shutter to their establishments. 

It is reported that the army and police have visited these two areas and demanded that the shopkeepers open the outlets. Shop owners also reported receiving intimidating calls from intelligence officers insisting they open.

Most businesses remained defiant in the face of the military threats and kept their shopfronts shut.

Related Articles: 

27 November 2020 : Mannar court upholds and extends ban on Maaveerar Naal commemorations

24 November 2020 : Jaffna High Court rules 'public Maaveerar Naal commemorations are banned but private ones are allowed'

21 November 2020 : Kayts court imposes ban on Maaveerar Naal commemorations as crackdown intensifies in North-East