Sri Lanka Cracks Down on Hindu Festival Celebrations

COLOMBO, SRI LANKA, December 3, 2020 (Tennessee Tribune): Sri Lankan military and police have cracked down on celebrations of the Hindu festival of Karthikai Deepam in the northern parts of the island nation, claiming that it could be related to the commemoration of former rebels. The festival includes lighting lamps and ringing bells in temples and public places. This year it was celebrated on Nov. 29. The authorities earlier had warned against any commemoration of former cadres of the militant Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which waged a war against the national government from 1983 to 2009. The LTTE, led by V. Prabhakaran, demanded the creation of an independent country in the north and east because of discrimination against the Tamil minority by the Sinhalese majority.

In the run-up to the festival this year, Sri Lankan Army Cmdr. Shavendra Silva warned against people trying to publicly honor former LTTE cadres. Courts in the north and northeastern provinces banned public commemorations and celebrations of "Heroes Day," though private events were allowed. Sri Lankan Tamils celebrate Heroes Day on Nov. 27 to commemorate the death of LTTE militants, whom they consider to be martyrs. Prabhakaran's birthday is Nov. 26. "Attempts to honor LTTE cadres will not be permitted and doing so will result in legal actions under the Coronavirus Act," said Silva, who also heads the Covid-19 task force in Sri Lanka. "Relatives of ordinary people who lost their lives in the war have a right to remember them, but this can be done in their homes." The court orders restricted commemoration activities between Nov. 21 and 27.

Suorce: https://www.hinduismtoday.com/