‘Maveerar Day’- Police question Tamil man for using ‘Karthikai Poo’

Sri Lanka Police continue to harass Tamils who organized ‘Maaveerar Naal’

Tamil man questioned by Police about funds and support for ‘Maaveer Day’ event

Earlier it was the photograph of Prabhakaran, now it is about the ‘Karthikai flower’. 

Sri Lankan Police are so perturbed about the flower native to the nation’s North and East. 

Now, a Tamil from the North has been inquired by the police for organizing the ‘Hero’s Day’.

Police are understood to have questioned him about the distribution of the ‘Karthikai Poo’- the designated as the native flower of ‘Tamil Eelam’ by the now militarily defeated Tamil Tigers (LTTE) and the distribution of Areca nut saplings to those assembled to pay tributes to those who lost their lives in the brutal civil war which raged for over three decades. 

Gloriosa Lily also known as Flaming Lily and in Tamil as Karthikai Poo or Senganthal is a native flower to South and South East Asia and parts of Africa. Its rich and vibrant colours of Yellow and Red along with its petals glittering like a flaming torch is very much part of the Tamil culture and literature.

Local journalists say Police questioned Amuthan for close to an hour after summoning him on the 8th of December (Sunday) in connection with the ‘Maaveerar Day’ observation at the Kokkuvil junction in Jaffna on the 27th of November. 

Amuthan says he was questioned about who funded the ‘Maaveerar Day’ event, and who organized and sponsored it. He was speaking to the local media after visiting the Police Station along with his friend and recording his statement. 

“They asked me who did this. How was this organized? who funded it? Further, they questioned me about where I got the pictures of the ‘Karthikai Poo’. I told them we took it from the internet. I was further asked who else jointly organized the event, for which I told a friend of mine helped me”. 

However, the Police did not record any statement from his friend, local media persons add. 

Amuthan adds the tailor who stitched flats for the ‘Maaveerar Day’ event and the person who distributed the Arce nut saplings on that day were also inquired by the Police. 

“We stitched the flags at a local tailor shop. He too was questioned. Police threatened him in a strict tone not to repeat any such work for us in the future. The individual who donated Arce nut saplings in memory of those who died was also subject to questioning by the Police.

Although the AKD government said it won’t object to people paying tributes to those who lost their lives during the war on the ‘Maaveerar Naal’ (Nov 27), cabinet spokesperson Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa told a day before no display of any emblems, flags or banners related to what they call terrorists or banned organization could be displayed during the memorial service. 

“Commemorating relatives is one thing. Promoting the LTTE or any other terrorist organization is another thing. Therefore, the two should not be confused. We have made it very clear that we respect the right of those people to commemorate their relatives, but we will not allow anything illegal or prohibited by the government.” 

Minister for Public Safety and Parliamentary Affairs Ananda Wijepala told the Parliament on the 4th of December that starting 21st November to the 27th –the ‘Maaveerar Week’, 244 Tamil ‘Maaveerar Day’ memorial events were held in the North and East and legal action has been initiated regarding them. He told the house legal action had been initiated regarding exhibiting some signs and symbols of the LTTE in 10 places.

Earlier a Tamil man, Manoharan Kajendraroopan, from the village of Inuvil West in Chunnakam was arrested by the police on the 29th of November this year, for what they allege of posting a video of slain LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran on his social media Facebook wall.

Father of two, Manoharan Kajendraroopn was initially remanded to judicial custody till December 4th. Subsequently, he was released on bail of LKR 200,000 when produced in court that day by Jaffna Magistrate A A Anadharajah. He was also banned from traveling abroad.