Students at the University of Jaffna paid tribute to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cadres who gave their lives to the Tamil struggle for liberation today to mark the first day of Maaveerar remembrance week. 

The Sri Lankan military have set up more checkpoints in the already heavily militarised North-East as Maaveerar remembrance week begins. 

The checkpoints have been set up on main roads, including the A9, with vehicles being subjected to intense searches. Checkpoints have also been set up in Elephant Pass, Mankulam and Omanthai where the military have been noting vehicle registration numbers and passenger details. 

The first day of Maaveerar remembrance week, the week leading up to Maaveerar Naal, was marked in Point Pedro this morning. 

Plaques inscribed with the names of all those who sacrificed their lives, have been erected at a memorial hall on Paruthithurai Court road.

Preparations for Maaveerar Week - or Great Heroes Week- have been completed at the University of Jaffna as the Tamil nation remember those who sacrificed their lives in the Tamil struggle for liberation. 

Speaking at Stanford University’s Centre for South Asia, Senior Lecturer of Political Economy at the University of Jaffna, Ahilan Kadirgamar, and Tamil Guardian editorial board member, Viruben Nandakumar, discuss Sri Lanka’s current economic crisis; the expansion of the military establishment; and the island’s international relations. 

Responding to the recent visit of Canada’s business delegation to Sri Lanka, MP Gary Anandasangaree expressed his disappointment in Canadian MPs seeking investment “in a failed state with a horrendous human rights record and endemic corruption.”

As an Eelam Tamil artist, Christopher Kulendran Thomas experienced his homeland being eradicated, sparking his inspiration behind the exhibition. Christopher Kulendran Thomas’ exhibition, ‘Another World,’ featured in the Institute of Contemporary Arts London, explores the struggle for an independent Tamil homeland through the artistic perspective of blending contemporary art and technology.

Navaratri, meaning ‘nine nights’, is a Hindu festival paying tribute to various goddesses, with regional variations across South Asia. Tamils commonly refer to the festival as ‘Saraswathi Puja’, celebrating the period as a time for new educational and artistic endeavours, under the auspices of Saraswathi, the goddess of knowledge and the arts.

The Tamil Nadu government should take appropriate steps, so that the four Eelam Tamils acquitted in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case can live a happy life outside prison, said the coordinator of the National Organization for the Release of Political Prisoners, Rev. Fr. M. Sakthivel.

The organisation has appealed to the Government of Tamil Nadu and the Central Government of India to take measures to ensure the released prisoners' freedom.