Kopay Army Base

In the early 1990s, when the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) controlled the Valikamam region of Jaffna Peninsula, they built a thuyilum illam (resting place) for their maaveerar (great heroes) in Kopay. After the Sri Lankan military recaptured Valikamam in 1995 they destroyed the LTTE cemetery using tractors.^[1][2][3] After the Norwegian mediated peace process began in 2002 the LTTE started rebuilding their war cemeteries including that at Kopay.^[1][2] After the Sri Lankan Civil War ended in May 2009 with military defeat of the LTTE the Sri Lankan government/military re-commenced destroying LTTE war cemeteries and other memorials for dead LTTE members.^[4] In July 2010 the Sri Lankan military destroyed Kopay war cemetery.^[5] The cemetery had had 2,000 graves.^[6]

The Sri Lankan military then started building an army base on the site of the cemetery.^[7][8] On 4 March 2011 the new headquarters of the Sri Lanka Army's 51 Division was officially opened by Jagath Jayasuriya, Commander of the Army.^[6][9]