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. "We will continue to fulfil our historical duty of remembrance," Ravikaran said. Remembering Pandara VanniyanReflecting 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. 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. Welcoming the continued practice of traditional Tamil martial arts, Ravikaran said it was encouraging to see Tamils learning and publicly demonstrating their ancestral traditions.