Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi parliamentarian Thurairasa Ravikaran has said that commemorating Tamil figures such as the Vanni king Pandara Vanniyan and the LTTE commander Balraj is a "historical duty", vowing to continue paying tribute despite opposition from Sinhala politicians and sections of the Sinhala-Buddhist community.
Speaking at an event honouring practitioners of traditional Tamil martial arts at the Muttraveli grounds in Mullaitivu on 2 August, the Vanni District MP said he would not be deterred by criticism. He recalled the backlash he faced after paying tribute to Balraj in the Sri Lankan parliament in May, when several opposition MPs and members of the majority Sinhala-Buddhist community strongly criticised his remarks.
"We will continue to fulfil our historical duty of remembrance," Ravikaran said. "We will not be frightened by anyone's shouting and remain silent without carrying out such commemorations."
Reflecting on a sword-and-shield demonstration at the event, Ravikaran drew parallels with the resistance led by Pandara Vanniyan against British colonial forces in the Vanni. He said that in August 1803, some 223 years ago, Pandara Vanniyan attacked British forces stationed in Mullaitivu, entered the Dutch fort they occupied and captured their artillery. Despite the colonial forces possessing guns and cannon, he said, Pandara Vanniyan and his Tamil forces had fought with swords, shields and spears and defeated the foreign troops. The remains of the fort still stand within the premises of the Mullaitivu District Secretariat.
Pandara Vanniyan's resistance is commemorated each year on 25 August, Ravikaran said, arguing that the history demonstrated the longstanding martial traditions of the Tamil people.
"No one can underestimate Tamils when it comes to martial arts," he said. "There is ample historical evidence demonstrating how courageous our ancestors were."
Ravikaran went on to invoke the armed struggle of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, saying their military history was widely known.
"The history of the Liberation Tigers and their valour is known to everyone," he said. "Their acts of courage were such that countries around the world looked upon them with astonishment."
He also recalled an event held at the same Muttraveli grounds during the period of LTTE administration, when the Tamil revolutionary singer Thenisai Chellappa performed before a large gathering at an event organised by the Sea Tigers.
"Mullaitivu has many such sources of pride," he said.
Welcoming the continued practice of traditional Tamil martial arts, Ravikaran said it was encouraging to see Tamils learning and publicly demonstrating their ancestral traditions.
His remarks come against a backdrop in which Tamil remembrance is routinely restricted and its sites targeted. The statue of Pandara Vanniyan , who was declared a national hero even by the Sri Lankan state in 1982, was damaged by Sri Lankan soldiers in 2010, while commemorations of the LTTE war dead continue to face surveillance, obstruction and the threat of prosecution under the Prevention of Terrorism Act.
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