Sri Lanka’s politics took an unprecedented turn on November 27, as the government allowed widespread LTTE remembrance ceremonies across the northern and eastern provinces, coinciding with a path-breaking London meeting between JVP general secretary Tilvin Silva and senior members of the Tamil diaspora with known LTTE sympathies, according to The Federal, a digital platform disseminating news, analyses, and commentary.
On Thursday evening, tens of thousands braved rain and wind to attend dozens of meetings across predominantly Tamil areas, paying homage to civilians and LTTE fighters killed during the island’s bloody civil conflict, particularly in the final military offensive. Soldiers and police, despite maintaining a heavy presence in the north and east, made no effort to disrupt the events. The gatherings drew men and women, young and old, in numbers described as unprecedented.
During its armed campaign, the LTTE marked November 27 as Maveerar Naal (Great Heroes’ Day) in memory of fighters who died in battle. The first LTTE death, of guerrilla “Lt Shankar,” occurred on this day in 1982. The previous day, November 26, is remembered as the birthday of LTTE founder Velupillai Prabhakaran, killed in 2009, ending the Tigers’ 25-year struggle for an independent Tamil state.
Tamil sources told The Federal that the commemorations were solemn, taking place mainly in Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, Batticaloa, and Trincomalee. Loudspeakers played the LTTE song Thayaga Kanavudan (“With Dreams of Homeland”) while attendees observed minutes of silence and offered flowers to the photographs of those killed. No LTTE flags or military fatigues were displayed, and speakers avoided criticism of the government, whose main constituent is the Marxist-Sinhalese Janatha Vimukti Peramuna (JVP).
Yellow and red — the colors of the LTTE flag — adorned streets and public spaces. Some events were held in open grounds, others at street corners, and a few in halls and auditoriums. While the fighting in the north and east killed thousands of civilians, large numbers of LTTE guerrillas, Sinhalese troops, and Muslims also lost their lives, making the commemorations a remembrance of a vast human tragedy.
Although this was only the second LTTE commemoration since President Anura Dissanayake’s election in September 2024, the turnout was described as “mammoth.” Residents noted that the government had clearly instructed security forces not to obstruct the events. In Velvettiturai, Prabhakaran’s hometown, around 150 people celebrated what would have been his 71st birthday with a cake-cutting ceremony and firecrackers.
Tamil sources emphasized that attendees were mostly relatives of deceased civilians and former LTTE fighters. They stressed that the events should not be interpreted as ongoing support for the LTTE. Around 12,000 guerrillas had surrendered to the military and undergone official rehabilitation; they kept a low profile during the commemorations. Observers noted that the government’s tolerant approach may be influenced by its recent parliamentary gains in Tamil-majority areas and the understanding that these gatherings were primarily family-driven rather than organized by any group.
The commemorations coincided with Silva’s London meeting with senior members of the Tamil community, some previously sympathetic to the LTTE. The structured dialogue marked a historic opening for the JVP with a community that had long viewed Sinhalese-led parties with suspicion. The Tamil delegation raised concerns about extremism among Sinhalese groups, called for early provincial elections, and criticized the conduct of the Sinhalese/Buddhist-dominated archaeology department in Tamil areas. They also condemned street protests in London by pro-LTTE activists against Silva.
A Tamil leader present at the meeting told media that Silva listened attentively, without defensiveness or dismissiveness — a departure from previous Sinhalese leaders’ approaches. Silva, in turn, stressed that the JVP-led government wanted to move decisively away from race-based politics, warning that Sri Lanka cannot progress while communities live in “separate worlds of pain, suspicion and memory” and calling for a shared future.
Members of the diaspora cautioned that symbolic gestures alone were insufficient. “It has happened too often in the past that Sinhalese leaders make promises and then go back on them after coming under pressure from Buddhist monks,” one source said. “Will Silva and the JVP be different? Will they differentiate between Tamils and the LTTE? Only time will tell.”
