Maaveerar Naal or so-called Great Heroes Day has been commemorated since November 27, 1989 with a week ending November 26 to mark terrorist leader Velupilai Prabakaran’s birthday. It is an LTTE event to remember every LTTE terrorists killed.
While the LTTE propagandists shed crocodile tears to the world that the Government denies them to commemorate dead Tamils, what these LTTE propagandists do not disclose is that they forbid Tamils from commemorating Tamils killed by LTTE and this is a long list. Ironically, some clueless foreign politicians attend the LTTE commemorations. Probably some have already accepted invitations for the events.
But, what everyone conveniently ignores is that the Mahaveerar Naal ceremonies do not shed a tear for the likes of Alfred Duraiappah, Lakshman Kadiragamar, Sarojini Yogeswaran or even the leaders of the other Tamil militant groups that LTTE killed to reign supreme. If Prabakaran and the LTTE had an objective to create an Eelam for Tamils – why kill their own people including leaders of other Tamil militant groups fighting for the same cause?
Maaveerar Naal is to only commemorate dead LTTEers
Maaveerar Naal is not to commemorate Tamil civilians, Tamil politicians, Tamil academics, Tamil public servants, Tamil clergy, Tamil children or even Tamil combatants who were all killed by LTTE.
What do we call an event to commemorate these Tamils?
Barbaric acts
Here are some of the barbaric acts by the LTTE terrorists when they were active here:
LTTE’s first victim was a Tamil – Mayor of Jaffna, Alfred Duraiappah was shot dead after he was stepping out of the kovil on July 27, 1975.
LTTE’s second victims were also Tamils – scores of Tamil policemen making Tamils too scared to join the police and the LTTE propagandists twisted this to claim the Government was not recruiting Tamils to the police.
M Canagaratnam Tamil United Liberation Front’s candidate for Pottuvil was shot outside his home in Kollupitiya, Colombo on 24 January 24, 1978 and died of injuries on April 20, 1980.
C E Anandarajah– Principal of St. Johns College Jaffna was assassinated on June 26, 1985 for organising a cricket match with the Army.
Dharmalingam– TULF MP for Manipai and father of D. Siddarthan (PLOTE leader) was killed by the LTTE in September 2, 1985.
K Sabaratnam– TELO leader was killed by the LTTE’s Kittu on May 6, 1986.
S Nadarajah, Tamil lawyer – Pioneer of the All Ceylon Tamil Congress – first and the only Chairman of the Jaffna District Development Council was shot on February 12, 1988 for associating with the IPKF.
M. Panchalingam– Tamil civil servant – Educated at Jaffna Hindu College and Ananda College Colombo was shot dead on May 1, 1989 at his brother’s house in Nallur.
Amirthalingam MP, Secretary General of the TULF/ a former Opposition Leader was killed by the LTTE on July 13, 1989 in his residence after his wife offered the assassins tea and biscuits. He called LTTEers ‘our boys’.
V Yogeswaran– the husband of Sarojini Yogeswaran –a Tamil lawyer and MP was assassinated along with Amirthalingam on July 13 1989. Sivasithamparan escaped with injuries.
Dr. Ranjini Thiranagama–a Tamil human rights activist was killed on September 21, 1989 aged 35. Her sister was a member of the LTTE. She too had helped the LTTE initially.
Sam and Kala Tambimuttu–a member of TULF who contested the 1989 General Elections under the EPRLF, was shot outside the Canadian High Commission on May 7, 1990. His wife, who was also shot, succumbed to her injuries on May 16, 1990.
Pathmanabha– a EPRLF leader was killed by the LTTE in India on June 19, 1990.
Veerasingam Ganeshasangari Yogasangari–the son of V. Ganeshasangaree, brother of Tamil United Liberation Front Politician V. Anandasangaree was assassinated on June 19, 1990 in Madras, India. The LTTE killed seven members of the EPRLF.
Gopalswamy Mahendraraja (Mahaththaya) the Deputy Leader of the LTTE was executed by Prabakaran on December 28, 1994 for being an informant to India’s intelligence.
Chelvy Thiyagarajah– Journalist, who won the International Pen Award in 1992, was abducted and executed by the LTTE in1997 in an LTTE prison along with another Manoharan.
A Thangathurai– lawyer and MP was killed on July 5, 1997
Thangathurai and six others (Sri Shanmuga - Principal Rajeshwari Thanabalasingham, Namagal Vidyalayam – Principal, S. Joseph, - Principal K. Seevaratnam - civil engineer V. Retnarajah - social worker P. S. Ganeshalingam - a police bodyguard) were killed by the LTTE.
Sarojini Yogeswaran– Mayor of Jaffna, was shot five times with a pistol near her Jaffna home on May 17, 1998 S Shanmuganathan, senior PLOTE member was killed on July 15 1998.
Neelan Tiruchelvan. President’s Counsel / MP – Director of the International Centre for Ethnic Studies was assassinated on July 29, 1999.
Nimalan Soundaranayagam– teacher and MP was assassinated on November 7, 2000.
Kandasamy Iyer Balanadarajah Iyer (Balanadarasan), senior member of the EPDP was killed on August 16, 2004 in Colombo. He was initially a member of EROS, but left when EROS merged with the LTTE and joined the EPDP.
Lakshman Kadiragamar– Foreign Minister was assassinated in his home during the infamous cease fire agreement on August 12, 2005.
Relangi Selvarajah and her husband– Tamil journalist were killed on August 12, 2005 during infamous ceasefire on the same day that Lakshman Kadiragamar was assassinated.
Kethesh Loganathan– Human Rights Activist – Deputy Secretary General of the Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process (SCOPP) and recipient of Hubert Humphrey Fellowship and joined the EPRLF after returning to Sri Lanka was assassinated outside his home on August 12, 2006.
Selliah Parameshwaram Kurukkal Chief Pujari of the Santhiveli Pilleyar Kovil was killed on February 7, 2007
Jeyaraj Fernandopulle– MP was killed on April 6, 2008 along with 14 others by an LTTE suicide bomber while raising flag for a marathon race.
Sivashri Kungaraja Kurukkal who was the head pandit of the Koneswaram temple of Trincomalee, was shot dead on September 21, 2008.
Kumaraswamy Nanthakopan (Ragu) was killed in Colombo on February 14, 2008.
The families that participate in these LTTE Maaveerar Naal commemorations are all families of the LTTE and known as Maaveerar Kudumbangal (Great Hero Families) who had a privileged life under the LTTE reign. We witnessed this in the manner some Tamils during the last phase were better fed than the rest of the Tamils.
The Maaveerar Naal commemorations are naturally held overseas as well – it is another income generator and a camouflage to fool the gullible international community. The LTTE Diaspora lighting candles and holding commemorations are all LTTE runaway families – probably missing and disappeared are amongst them with new names and identities.
Camouflage
While these commemorations are held with pomp and pageant – the families of those killed by the LTTE can only mourn their dead in private in their homes.
No public ceremonies are permitted by the LTTE for them.
How can we forget the LTTE terrorists killed by LTTE – children, women, men? How many did the LTTE kill? Are their deaths credited to the Sri Lanka Army? During the last phase, scores of injured LTTE terrorists were put into buses and set on fire. Many Tamils living overseas were killed for not towing LTTE line. Some continue to be threatened. So, who is Wigneswaran and the TNA actually fooling by attending these LTTE Heroes Day commemorations? Decorations are in LTTE colours (red and yellow), the LTTE flag is hoisted, the Eelam map is displayed, garland for 1st LTTE hero Shankar is a dead giveaway (pun intended)
How do the families of these people who were slain by the LTTE commemorate their dead?
What is that event called?