Tamil festival spurs war ravaged district

[TamilNet, Friday, 08 February 2002, 22:46 GMT]

The festival's cultural programs began with traditional Naathaswaram music. (Please click on the image for larger photo)

The festival's cultural programs began with traditional Naathaswaram music.The Thamil Engal Uyir festival concluded around 4.30 a.m. Friday morning. There has been no politico-cultural program on such massive scale in the Mannar district since the war began to escalate in 1983, a TNA parliamentarian for the Vanni, Mr. Sivasakthi Anandan, said. "Thamil Engal Uyir has clearly shown the world that decades of cruel oppression and the devastation wrought on every inch of our homeland by the Sri Lankan security forces have not broken our determination to achieve our goal. It has reiterated our unbreakable will amidst great adversity to live as free men and women in the land of our ancestors", he said.

The event was covered by journalists and local correspondents for the state run TV station, Rupavahini, the London bases Tamil TV, Deepam, the Asian Broadcasting Corporation, the Canadian Tamil Broadcasting Corporation, the International Broadcasting corporation (Tamil), Sakthi radio and TV, BBC, AFP, the English daily news paper, Daily Mirror, and the Tamil dailies, Virakesari, Thinakkural and Sudar Oli.

(please click on the images for larger photos)



A section of the crowds on the 'Thamil Engal Uyir' festival grounds and Mr. Sivasakthi Anandan, TNA MP for Vanni (right) and Mr. S. Ramesh, who represented the PLOTE on behalf of Mr. Dharmalingam Sitharthan at the festival. Mr. Anandan is a member of the EPRLF.



Boats decorated for the festival in the Muththarippu estuary and a section of the long procession towards the festival grounds. Thousands from all parts of the Mannar district which are under the control of the Sri Lankan security forces continued to come for the festival until late in the night. Many were left behind in Mannar town due lack of adequate vehicles. Hundreds walked on the dusty, dilapidated road from Murunkan junction Muththarippu.



Floats in the procession which started from the site of the ancient Alliraani fort at Muththarippu's entrance.



A banner by the lagoon and the decorated pathway to the festival grounds.