More than 100 people belonging to associations of the relatives of forcibly disappeared Tamils across the North-East have lost their lives since their struggle for justice commenced.  

The relatives of the disappeared, which include mostly mothers and wives demanding to know the whereabouts of their sons and husbands, have been protesting for justice for several years now.

Photo by ethili.te

Mullaitivu Press Club has condemned the brutal assault and torture of journalist Viswalingham Viswachandran for taking a photo of a Mullivaikkal road sign.

Netherlands Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Tanja Gonggrijp, met with Sri Lankan Foreign Minister, G.L. Peiris to mark the annual "Orange the World: 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence" despite ongoing concerns over the systemic use of torture and rape within the island.

Norwegian Tamils held events in Oslo and Bergen to mark Maaveerar Naal. 

UK Tamils joined the Tamil nation in observing Maaveerar Naal - Great Heroes Day -  to commemorate those who sacrificed their lives in the Tamil struggle for liberation. 

London

Thousands of British Tamils gathered in London yesterday to pay tribute to fallen cadres. 

Maaveerar Naal commemorations started off early in the Jaffna District as tributes were paid at the family home of the first Maaveerar Lt. Shankar.

Tamil Americans in several states gathered to commemorate Maaveerar Naal to remember the lives lost in the Tamil Struggle for liberation. 

Maaveerar Naal, also known as the ‘Tamil National Heroes Day,’ is marked on November 27, in memory of the first death of a Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cadre, Lt Col. Shankar, who died in combat on November 27, 1982. 

Queens, New York

Thousands of Tamils across Canada gathered today to mark Maaveerar Naal, remembering those who sacrificed their lives for the Tamil struggle for liberation. Canadians gathered in Markham, Ottawa and Montreal.

Tamil remembrance activities marking Maaveerar Naal are "a bulwark against Sinhala-Buddhist supremacy" the People for Equality and Relief in Lanka (PEARL) said today. 

In a statement, the US based advocacy organisation highlighted the intensifying crackdown on Tamil memorialisation "with the Sri Lankan state using judicial and extrajudicial methods to prohibit and prevent commemoration events." 

"The state’s insistence on obstructing Tamil memory is intrinsically linked to the roots of the conflict in Sri Lanka," the statement noted. 

Speaking in Scottish parliament on the 30th international day for the elimination of violence against women, Labour MP Mercedes Villalba, welcomed the decision of Police Scotland to not renew its training contract with Sri Lanka but maintained that this came about " in spite of the inaction of the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Veterans".