Tamil National Alliance parliamentarian P. Ariyanenthiran has accused Sri Lankan military of bulldozing and damaging Tiger War Heroes Cemeteries in Batticaloa district. He said after staying in refugee camps for months, when Tamil refugees returned their own home, they were shocked having seen that cemeteries of their sons and daughters killed in the war have been bulldozed and there is no trace of desecrated Tiger War Heroes Cemeteries right now.

Strongly condemning such act, he said the destruction of the largest war heroes' cemetery in Tharavai in Vadamunai region and the next largest cemetery at Thaandiyadi in the district is the manifestation of continuous disrespect of Sri Lankan armed forces towards the norms of the civilized world.

"International civilized norms say that war prisoners, war wounded, and war memorials be respected and be preserved which ever side they belong to. The people of my constituency, who regard heroes’ cemeteries as sacred places, are deeply shocked seeing those have been destroyed," the parliamentarian said.

The Sri Lankan Army destroyed LTTE war heroes' cemetery in Tharavai, located near a forest area, in June 2007.

Thaandiyadi war heroes’ cemetery was demolished a few days ago before the Tamil refugees were allowed to return to their homes.

The two other war heroes’ cemeteries in the district, Kandaladi in Vaakarai and Maavadi Munmaari in the Paddippalai Divisional Secretary's area have also been destroyed.

But there are lot of instances that the Tamil Tigers duly honoured and respected the symbols of their Sinhala enemies.

A camp for Special Task Force (STF) has been setup at the Thaandiyadi war cemetery premises and the Sri Lankan commandos there have ordered the people not to use the traditional village name, Thaandiyadi, which means the locality of Thaanri (Terminalia bellerica) trees.

Officials at the Secretratiat of Tamileelam War Heroes in Vanni said LTTE war heroes' memorials in Jaffna peninsula at Koappaay were bulldozed by the Sri Lanka Army in 1995. The other cemeteries destroyed in Jaffna were: Chaaddi in Vealanai in 1995, Kodikaamam in Thenmaraadchi 1996 and Ellangkulam in Vadamaraadchi 1996.

Officials said they will take initiative to re-build the cemeteries in future, saying these war cemeteries were re-built following the February 2002 Ceasefire Agreement.

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