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Fact Check
A viral TikTok video shows individuals attacking a memorial float for Lt. Col. Thileepan during a commemoration event in Sri Lanka.
This is misleading. The video is from 2023, not 2025. It shows an incident in Trincomalee during the 36th Thileepan commemoration, not a recent event. The 2025 commemorations took place peacefully.
A 1-minute and 5-second TikTok video showing people attacking and destroying a memorial float dedicated to Lt Col Thileepan, along with a Sinhala text that reads, “There are still Sinhalese people with backbone, you know. These things are not possible here,” is being widely shared on social media.
The video has sparked widespread debate on TikTok, with some expressing approval, while others condemning the violence. The video’s caption and timing have misled many into believing that it occurred recently under the current government.
We found no reports of any attack on Thileepan commemoration events in 2025. Media outlets covering this year’s 38th anniversary reported that ceremonies across the North and East were peaceful, involving floral tributes and photographs of Thileepan only. The news reports can be seen here and here.
A reverse image search of key frames from the viral clip led to a Tamil Guardian report published on 17 September 2023, titled “Sinhala mob attack memorial dedicated to Lt Col Thileepan in Trincomalee.”
The original video was first posted in September 2023. Several YouTube channels, including Vikalpa Sri Lanka and Lanka Files, uploaded the same footage. The descriptions noted that vehicles participating in Thileepan’s 36th commemoration week were attacked by a Sinhala mob at Sardhapura Junction in Trincomalee.
Lt Col Thileepan, a political leader of the LTTE, began a fast unto death on 15 September 1987 to demand that India fulfil its promises under the Indo-Lanka Accord, which included political devolution for Tamils, disarmament of militants, and citizenship for Indian Tamils in Sri Lanka.
Following the Accord, he presented five key demands to India: release of Tamils detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, stopping Sinhalese colonization and new police or army establishments in Tamil areas, halting rehabilitation projects until an interim government was formed, and withdrawing weapons given to homeguards under Indian supervision. Thileepan died on 26 September 1987, and his death is commemorated annually by Tamils in Sri Lanka and the diaspora.
Commemorations are legally permitted in Sri Lanka but often face political and social tensions, especially in the North and East. Despite occasional restrictions in previous years, the 2025 commemorations marking the 38th anniversary were reported as peaceful, involving traditional tributes and floral offerings.
The viral video claiming to show a recent attack on a Thileepan memorial float in 2025 is misleading. The footage is two years old, dating back to September 2023, when a memorial procession was attacked in Trincomalee.
FAQs
Q1. Did the attack on Thileepan’s memorial happen recently?
No. The video is from 2023, not from 2025.
Q2. Where did the original incident take place?
At Sardhapura Junction, Trincomalee, during the 36th commemoration event on 17.09.2023.
Q3. Were there any attacks during the 2025 Thileepan commemorations?
No. All events this year were held peacefully, with floral tributes and photographs.
Q4. Who was Lt. Col. Thileepan?
He was a political leader of the LTTE who fasted unto death in 1987, demanding that India honor the terms of the Indo-Lanka Accord. His sacrifice is commemorated annually by Tamils worldwide.
Our Sources
Prime time news video uploaded on News First Tamil YouTube channel on 15 September 2025.
YouTube video by Samugam channel on 15 September 2025.
News article published by Tamil Guardian on 17 September 2023.
YouTube video by Vikalpa Sri Lanka channel on 18 September 2023.
YouTube video by Lanka Files channel on 19 September 2023.
Misleading
