‘Release Theravil Cemetery’ before next Tamil Maaveerar Day

War-affected Tamil people have submitted a petition with thousands of signatures to the President seeking the full release of the largest Maaveerar cemetery in the Vanni area, as the land has been forcibly occupied by the military for almost 16 years.

Regional correspondents said that a group comprising parents and relatives of former Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) members who died during the war (also known as ‘great heroes’) had travelled from Mullaitivu to Jaffna and had handed over the letter to Northern Province Governor Nagalingam Vedanayagam requesting that the letter be forwarded to the President. The letter contained nearly 2,500 signatures.

Theravil Maaveerar Cemetery Memorial Committee Secretary Sundaralingam Yogalingam, who led this endeavour, told journalists that they are requesting the President and Prime Minister to release the land before the next Maaveerar Day commemoration which falls on 27 November. The cemetery is located in the Wishwamadu area in Mullaitivu.

“We submitted the petition containing the signatures obtained through the signature campaign to the Northern Province Governor requesting that the Theravil Cemetery be released from the military. Several military personnel stationed at the site are making toddy. Therefore, we have submitted a letter to the Governor requesting that permission be sought from the President and the Prime Minister to return that site to us to hold the commemoration on 27 November. We request that our request be entertained and that we be allowed to freely hold the upcoming commemoration at that site.”

Through the letter submitted to the Northern Province Governor on 20 January, parents and relatives of the great heroes who lie in the Theravil Cemetery had pointed out that over 8,000 of their heroes and heroines who died during the war from 1995 until the end of the war in 2009 are buried there.

They had further informed the President in Tamil, Sinhala, and English languages that this site is sacred to them.

“This site is sacred to Tamil family members who have lost their children and relatives in the war. They have built tombs in this land, which are being maintained.”

The parents and relatives had recalled how all such cemeteries in the north and east were destroyed using machinery in the final stages of the war, and how the Theravil Cemetery was also completely destroyed during that period. They had further informed President Anura Kumara Dissanayake that it is undeniable that this cemetery has been used for various military purposes by governments that came to power so far, and that it has caused them great pain.

“Desecrating a cemetery that is considered a highly sacred place in such a way causes us great pain and distress.”

They have informed the present Commander-in-Chief that this cemetery was forcibly occupied during the final stages of the war by Sri Lankan Army’s 573rd Division, and that the Sri Lanka National Guard’s 14th Division which subsequently occupied this site used it to make cement building blocks.

“The use of cemeteries for other purposes, especially for business purposes, is a blatant violation of international norms and amounts to a desecration of a sacred site.”

Informing the President that only five military personnel are stationed at the cemetery at present, these parents and relatives have explained to the President what it means.

“At present, only five soldiers are stationed there. They are not engaged in any activity either. This clearly explains that the military simply wants to keep the land in its possession.”

These parents and relatives are requesting President Dissanayake to legally release the sacred Theravil Cemetery where their children and relatives are buried, and to guarantee their personal freedom to access this land without interruption in order to pay respects to those who lost their lives during the war.

“We request that this land be released, and that the loved ones of those buried there be allowed to visit the site throughout the year and pay their respects on the ‘Maaveerar Naal’ or the ‘Great Heroes’ Day’.”

They have taken steps to forward copies of the letter to the Prime Minister, Northern Province Governor, Fisheries, Aquatic and Ocean Resources Minister, and Jaffna and Vanni district Members of Parliament.

Tens of thousands of people who are revered by the Tamil people as great heroes are buried in a number of cemeteries known as ‘Thuilam Illam’. These cemeteries were destroyed by government forces and camps were built following the end of the war.

After the military took over Tamil people’s land that was under the LTTE’s control, the Sri Lankan Army had bulldozed nearly 25 cemeteries containing the graves of 20,400 Tamil militants who had died in the north and east, and had demolished gravestones.

The United Nations (UN) has declared as a fundamental right the ability to pay respect to the dead, which is part of the Hindu culture. President Dissanayake has also assured that he will recognize that right.