The coastal port town Valveddiththu’rai in the northern coast of Jaffna, the birthplace of the LTTE leader V. Pirapaharan, remains a targeted a place for harassment by the genocidal Sri Lanka Army occupying Jaffna. On Sunday, the Army stopped an annual sports-meet event organized by the sports associations of the town and also ordered the removal of the flags of the sports associations displayed for the event. At the involvement of the SL police later, the Army conceded to the conduct of the event, but said that such events should get prior approval from the occupying Army than from anybody else.
The occupying Army has a special grudge against the sports associations of Valveddiththu’rai, as a few months ago the associations displayed flags in half-mast for the demise of Parvathi Amma, the mother of the LTTE leader. The Army at that time ordered against the half-mast display, but the sports associations didn’t care. The Army later removed the flags on half-mast and the posters pasted on the walls paying homage to Parvathi Amma.
The Sunday’s incident was a planned retaliation by the Army, local people said.
The sports meet on Sunday, an annual event for the sports associations of the town, was organized at a locality called Koththiyaaladi near the Ka’li Temple in Valveddiththu’rai.
The occupying military that entered the grounds at the commencement of the event, ordered for immediate cancellation of the event and removal of the flags.
Tension prevailed as the youth of the sports associations refused to remove their flags. The occupying Army relented at the arrival of the SL police to the scene and said that they permit the event on the understanding that in future such events should get prior permission from the SL Army.
The people of Valveddiththu’rai face immense day-to-day harassment from the Army occupying the town.
A particular agenda of the occupying Army in Valveddiththu’rai is to harass the supporters of Mr. MK Sivajilingam who is contesting for the Town Council and whose election manifesto is to shift the occupying Army out of the town, local people said.
Meanwhile, even though the occupying Army has demolished the house of Mr. Pirapaharan, every day several hundreds from the south come to see the premises and the SL Army turns them back, news sources said.
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