Thileepan Blogspot "ஓ..என்
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வாள் ஏந்தும் வீரருக்கு
வேராக நிற்கின்றாய்
விடிவு தேடும் மக்களுக்கு
விடிவெள்ளி நீ தானே."
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Jyotindra Nath Dixit, Indian High Commissioner in Sri Lanka 1985/89 on
Thileepan's Fast "...Thileepan -- an idealistic and committed
LTTE leader -- commenced a fast unto death in one of the main temples of
Jaffna, taking the stand that the Indo-Sri Lankan Agreement did not
fulfill Tamil aspirations and that India was not doing enough even to
implement the provisions of the Agreement. The situation was becoming
critical just about five weeks after the Agreement was signed..."
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Martyr Thileepan
by Professor Kopan Mahadeva,
Hot Spring October 1998
He passed away in full view of
a hundred thousand or more
pairs of tear-filled eyes,
Fasting in steadfast defiance
of violence of seventy thousand
misguided gun-toting guys,
Consuming not even water
for eleven whole days, not just his rice,
Bettering the Gandhian device
to recapture human liberty
through self-sacrifice.
His nation had
tried for forty years
not once, not twice, not thrice
but umpteen times to entice
the oppressors with compromise plans, interim pacts, sensible advice,
but all these were frozen like inert ice.
Thileepan�s was pacifism against vice,
with arms withheld as a last resort,
as the ultimate face in the political dice.
He exhaled national fire in slow breaths
and passed vigour and fierce velocity to Tamil cubs,
once timid and shy as mice,
And now lives as the sinew and blood
of armies of pouncing tigers
pursuing national pride and peace and a national paradise.
MaaVeerar -
மாவீரர்
அணையாத தீபங்கள்
Lt. Col. Thileepan - Rasaiah
Parthipan
- died 26 September 1987 -
"... my dear comrade Thileepan's death
...
is something to be pondered over.... My dear people, for whom did Thileepan
die? Why did he die? What is the significance of his death? Thileepan died for
the Tamil people. He died for the rights of the Tamil people. He died to
safeguard our freedom and our honour.... A life is very, very precious. I am
quite aware of that. But even more precious is our freedom, our honour, our
rights..."Velupillai Pirabakaran on Thiyagi Thileepan
Lt. Col. Thileepan was in charge of the LTTE's political wing in
Jaffna during the mid eighties. He worked relentlessly to mobilise the Tamil
public and became a popular figure. He was also a courageous fighter and his
conduct under fire inspired the Tiger troops.
When the Indian and Sri Lankan governments signed the
Indo-Lanka accord in mid 1987, the Tamil people were undecided as to whether
the treaty was to their benefit or not.
Many Tamils subscribed to the idealistic view of 'Mother
India' looking after their interests, yet were perplexed by the LTTE's
reservations.
When large numbers of Indian troops arrived on the
island, the Tamil people initially viewed them as 'liberators' from the excesses
of the Sri Lankan army, even though the Indo-Lanka accord was primarily aimed at
securing Indian strategic objectives
in the region and the ending of Tamil nationalism on the
island.
Many Tamil concerns guaranteed by the Indian government
(such as the
Sinhala colonisation of the Tamil homeland) continued to persist and the
Tamil people started to realise that things had not improved.
However, many were fearful of challenging the mighty
Indian state and in any case, the Tamils believed that India would protect their
interests in the end.
In an effort to persuade the Indian government to honour
its obligations (or perhaps to force Delhi to reveal its hand) Lt. Col.
Thileepan began a fast-unto-death on 14 September 1987 in the grounds of the
Nallur Kandaswamy temple. Notably, as well as refusing to eat, Thileepan
wouldn't drink water either.
His demands were that the Indian and Sri Lankan governments
withdraw Sinhalese army camps from Tamil areas, stop the continuing Sinhala
colonisation in the Tamil homeland, suspend all rehabilitation work until the
formation of an interim (Tamil) government for the Tamil homelands, halt the
setting up of Sinhala manned police stations in Tamil areas and release all
political detainees.
The Sri Lankan and Indian governments ignored his
protest. As the days went by, the Tamil people watched Thileepan grow weaker and
weaker. Within days, public concern had turned to alarm, though most Tamils felt
that there would be a last minute gesture from the Indian government.
On 26 September 1987, Thileepan died.
His death sparked widespread anger across the Tamil homelands which
translated into zealous support for the Tamil Tigers. A few weeks later, the
LTTE went to war against the Indian government, which was now viewed as
collaborating with the Sinhalese regime in Colombo.
Despite deploying over 100,000 troops on the small
island (as many as the Soviet Union deployed in all of Afghanistan), the 4th
largest army in the world was forced into a retreat after 3 years. The LTTE,
which was two thousand strong when the Indian forces arrived, had over five
thousand men and women under arms when the Indians withdrew.
Thileepan's death was significant as he almost
single-handedly united the Tamil people behind the LTTE by highlighting the
Indian government's lack of concern for the Tamils' rights in pursuit of its
strategic interests. The Indian government's contempt for a Gandhian-style
protest won more hearts and minds for the Tigers than they could have envisaged.
The reasons for Thileepan's fast were the
LTTE demands:
withdraw Sinhalese army camps from Tamil areas,
suspend all rehabilitation work until the formation of
an interim (Tamil) government for the Tamil homelands,
stop the continuing Sinhala colonisation in the Tamil
homeland,
halt the setting up of Sinhala-manned police stations in
Tamil areas and
release all detainees held under the Prevention of
Terrorism Act.
Each year, the Tamil people mark the
anniversary of Thileepan's death. Sports events, literary
contests, science and art exhibitions and other public
events take place across the Tamil homelands in his honour.
Some people fast in remembrance and many others undertake
voluntary work. The Tamil expatriate communities across the
world also mark this period.
It is also a time during which the LTTE strengthens its
'grass roots' support in the Tamil homelands and abroad,
building on Thileepan's last words: "Let the Tamil peoples'
war erupt". (Courtesy:
Sangam.Org)
"Our
Liberation struggle has achieved tremendous victories at great cost. All these
achievements were victories which our movement earned in the course of our armed
struggle. But my dear comrade Thileepan's death is different from everything
else ; it is something to be pondered over because it is something qualitatively
different.
Thileepan by sacrificing his life in the ahimsa arena has established an
incomparable record.
His death is a great historical event, which will bring about decisive
changes in the history of the Tamil Eelam Liberation struggle.His sacrificial
death has touched and aroused the conscience of Tamil Eelam.
It has also made India bow its head in shame.
My dear people, for whom did Thileepan die? Why did he die? What is the
significance of his death? Why is it that his death is a revolutionary event
which has aroused the people?
Thileepan died for the Tamil people. He died for the rights of the Tamil
people. He died to safeguard our freedom and our honour.
By his death he has shown how a Tamil freedom fighter is prepared to make the
ultimate sacrifice for the people, for the land he loves. A life is very, very
precious. I am quite aware of that. But even more precious is our freedom, our
honour, our rights.
I loved Thileepan dearly, because he was a dedicated freedom fighter. When I
saw him battling for life I was very very disturbed but I did not regard
Thileepan as an ordinary man. I viewed him as a self consuming sacrificial fire.
India has expressed its deep sympathies over Thileepan's death. The Indian
High Commissioner has also said that this death is meaningless. He has
also gone on to say that if Indian assurances had been accepted, Thileepan may
have lived. What has happened?
We handed over our arms when the Indian Govt. assured us that the rights of
our people would be granted that our people and our, land would be protected,
that the Tamil speaking people would be given the opportunity to rule themselves
in their traditional homelands.
It is because we trusted the assurances of the Indian Govt. that we handed
over our arms. You are all aware of what has happened after all these promises.
While Tamil refugees are unable to get back to their own homes, Sinhala
colonisation is going on at a hectic pace. Tamil territory is being gobbled up.
The Police Administration of the Sinhala state Is being stepped up in the
Tamil homeland. The Sinhala Chauvinist state machinery is hurriedly infiltrating
the Tamil areas.
Under cover of the Peace Accord and with the assistance of the peace keeping
Force the Sinhala state is trying to root itself in Thamil Eelam.
Thileepan who realised the great danger, resolved to see an end to all this.n
ere is no point In combating the Sinhala state to win our demands.
It is India which interfered in our ethnic problem. It is India that
guaranteed the rights of our people. It was India that took over our arms. It is
India that has stopped our armed struggle. Therefore it is against the Indian
Govt. that we have to demand our rights. This is the reason why Thileepan
launched a Dharmista struggle against India. Moreover he chose as his spiritual
weapon the great instrument bequeathed by India.
Twenty four hours before Thileepan died after refusing to take even a drop of
water, we gave prior information to the Indian Commissioner Mr. J. N. Dixit.
Nothing happened even eight days after he started his death fast. Instead the
media which are under the control of the Indian Govt. especially All India Radio
unleashed a malicious campaign of lies against us.
Thileepan's fast was deliberately distorted and vulgarised. On the 9th day
the Indian High Commissioner came to Jaffna. He gave us assurances which were
absolutely meaningless.
Meeting with Dixit
I told him that the Tamil speaking people had been betrayed every time by
accepting empty assurances. I told him please forward constructive proposals.
Please see to it that our demands are implemented.
Till then the fast will not be given up. I also told him that if you are
interested in Thileepan's life why don't you come and see him? In the presence
of our people please give him your assurances I told him. Then I said we would
give up the fast. The Indian High Commissioner refused to comply."
Adele
Balasingham is a sociologist, political activist and writer who has lived
and worked in India and Sri Lanka with the LTTE for more than twenty years.
This article is compiled, with kind permission, from extracts of
�The Will to Freedom�, her internal study of the armed struggle of the
Tamil Tiger movement. 2nd edition, Fairmax Publishing Ltd (UK), 2003. -
Courtesy Tamil Guardian
"As we entered the premises of the Nallur Kandasamy temple we were confronted
by a sea of people seated on the white sands under the blazing sun.
Thileepan, the young Tiger leader of Jaffna, took the podium on the 14th
September at the Nallur Kandasamy temple to commence his fast- unto-death as a
protest against India�s failure to fulfill her pledges, and to mobilise the
frustrated sentiments of the Tamils into a national mass upsurgence.
Thileepan�s non-violent struggle was unique and extraordinary for its
commitment. Although an armed guerrilla fighter, he chose the spiritual mode of
�ahimsa� as enunciated by the great Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi to impress upon
India the plight and predicament of the people of Tamil Eelam.
The levels to which the Tamil people or more specifically, the LTTE cadres, are
prepared to go for their freedom mirrors not only a deep passion for their
liberation, but indicates the phenomenal degree of oppression they have been
subjected to. It is only those who experience intolerable oppression of such a
magnitude, of being threatened with extinction, that are capable of supreme
forms of self sacrifice as we have seen from Thileepan�s episode.
Thileepan, who had travelled to Delhi as part of LTTE leader Vellupillai
Pirabakaran�s delegation before the signing of the Accord, was informed of the
content of the dialogue that had taken place between the Indian Prime Minister
and the LTTE leader.
With the knowledge that there was an unwritten agreement between Indian Premier
Rajiv Gandhi and Mr. Pirabakaran and that it had not been implemented, he felt
that his people and the struggle had been betrayed and decided on a
fast-unto-death demanding the fulfillment of the pledges.
When news of Thileepan�s fast-unto-death and the deteriorating political
situation between the LTTE and the Indian Peace Keeping Force reached us, we
decided to leave India for Jaffna.
My joy at reaching the shores of Tamil Eelam after so many years was contained
by the gloom that hung in the air. Thileepan was a few days into his fast till
death and the population of the Peninsula was seriously concerned and
wholeheartedly behind the non-violent campaign of a single individual seeking
justice from the world�s largest democracy. Subsequently, our first priority
after our arrival in the Peninsula was to visit Thileepan encamped at the
historic Nallur Kandasamy temple, the cultural and spiritual centre of the
Jaffna Tamils.
Thileepan�s decision to single-handedly take on the credibility of the Indian
state was not incongruous with his history of resistance to state oppression as
a cadre in the LTTE. He had faced battle on several occasions in defence of
Jaffna during Kittu�s time and suffered serious abdominal wounds in the process.
He was well known for his astute understanding of the politics and mindset of
his people and emerged as a radical political leader.
The senior LTTE women cadres often speak of his staunch advocacy of inducting
women into the national struggle and is remembered as one of the founding
fathers in the promotion of women�s issues. With such a history it comes as no
surprise that he endeared himself not only to the cadres but the people of
Jaffna also.
My husband, LTTE theoretician Anton Balasingham, met Thileepan during the
pre-Accord talks when he shared a hotel room with him in Delhi and quickly grew
very fond of this affable fellow. It was an extremely painful and emotional
experience for Bala to meet him again in Jaffna, in totally adverse conditions,
with Thileepan�s life slowly ebbing away.
As we entered the premises of the Nallur Kandasamy temple we were confronted by
a sea of people seated on the white sands under the blazing sun. The air was
thick with collective emotion and solemnity. This fading young man on the
platform obviously embodied the political sentiments and aspirations of his
people.
But it was more than that also. Thileepan�s fast had touched the spirit of the
Tamil nation and mobilised the popular masses in unprecedented solidarity. One
could sense how this extraordinary sacrifice of a fragile young man had suddenly
assumed a formidable force as the collective strength of his people. Thileepan�s
fast was a supreme act of transcendence of individuality for a collective cause.
Literally, it was an act of self-crucifixion, a noble act by which this brave
young man condemned himself to death so that others could live in freedom and
dignity.
With deep humility, Bala and I mounted the platform to speak to the reposed
Thileepan. Already several days without food or water and with a dry cracked
mouth, Thileepan could only whisper. Bala leaned closer to the weakened
Thileepan and exchanged words with him. Naturally enough, Thileepan enquired
about the political developments. We left soon afterwards, never to see him
alive again.
As Thileepan�s fast moved on in days, he was no longer able to address the
public from the podium and spent much of his time lying quietly as his condition
steadily deteriorated. As Thileepan grew visibly weaker in front of his people�s
eyes, their anger and resentment towards India and the IPKF grew stronger. The
sight of this popular young man being allowed to die in such an agonising manner
generated disbelief at the depth of callousness of the Indian government and the
Indian Peace Keeping Force.
All that was required to save Thileepan�s waning life was for the Indian High
Commissioner, Mr. Dixit, to humble himself and meet and reassure Thileepan that
the Indian government would fulfil its pledges to the Tamils. In fact Delhi
ignored Thileepan�s fast in the early stages as an isolated idiosyncrasy of an
individual, but later became seriously concerned when the episode gathered
momentum and turned into a national uprising with anti-Indian sentiments.
Delhi�s concerns compelled Mr. Dixit to pay a visit to Jaffna to �study the
situation�.
On the 22nd September, the eighth day of Thileepan�s fast, Mr. Dixit arrived at
the Pallaly airport where Mr. Pirabakaran and Bala met him. Bala told me later
that Mr. Dixit was rude and resentful and condemned Thileepan�s fasting campaign
as a provocative act by the LTTE aimed at instigating the Tamil masses against
the Indian government.
Mr. Pirabakaran showed remarkable patience and pleaded with the Indian diplomat
to pay a visit to Nallur and talk to the dying young man to give up his fast by
assuring him that India would fulfil its pledges. Displaying his typical
arrogance and intransigence, Mr. Dixit rejected the LTTE leader�s plea, arguing
that it was not within the mandate of his visit.
Had Mr. Dixit correctly read the situation and genuinely cared for the
sentiments of the Tamil people at this very crucial time, it is highly probable
that the entire episode of India�s direct intervention in the ethnic conflict
would have taken a different turn.
But Thileepan�s willingness to sacrifice his life in such a way touched the
spirit of the people and his unnecessary tragic death on 26th September planted
deeply the seeds of disenchantment with the Indian Peace Keeping Force."
From
an account written by a Tamil resident in London,
who visited his homeland for the first time after five years
in1987 and which detailed the happenings in Jaffna during
the period 12 September 1987 to 14 November 1987
Thileepan's fast
.... reports reaching Jaffna indicated that the East was
not fully free from unrest. There were reports of arrests,
torture and killing by the Sri Lankan Security Forces But,
things were going relatively smoothly until the 15th of
September, when it was announced that the LTTE leader of the
political wing in Jaffna, Thileepan, had commenced a fast
unto death campaign at 9.30 a.m. in front of the historic
Nallur Murugan Temple in protest against
the failure to effectively implement the promises in
the Accord;
the accelerated state aided Sinhala colonisation
in the Eastern Province;
the continued detention of Tamil prisoners under
the Prevention of Terrorism Act;
the failure of the Home Guards to surrender
their arms;
the failure to close army and police camps
situated in Tamil areas; and
the delay in setting up an interim
administration for the North and East.
The fast picked up momentum day by day and it became
the issue in everybody's mind as the days passed by. We
received reports that more and more people were joining the
fast. One lady teacher named Subashanthini Rajasundaram
started her fast in support of Thileepan's protest, sitting
next to him on the 17th of September and I was informed that
five others had joined the fast at Valvettiturai junction on
the 18th of September and so on. I later received reports
that such fasts had been spreading in the mainland as well -
in places like Chavakacheri, Mullaitivu, Batticaloa, and
Trincomalee.
There were hartals and protest marches organised by the
LTTE. The schools and colleges were closed and students
organised marches to Nallur and picketed the Indian military
camps. During the hartal all shops were closed and the
public was encouraged to attend pickets and rallies. I
saw thousands of men, women and children joining pickets and
rallies. All forms of transport, cars, vans, cycles, mini
buses, government buses, bullock carts, scooters and motor
cycles were used to move people around.
All the Tamil dailies in the North began to highlight the
fast and associated events. Surprisingly, the media in the
South (of Sri Lanka) was silent on the whole issue - the
dailies did not carry the news and the TV and radio blacked
out the fast and the protest movement. However in the North,
everybody tried to see LTTE's TV transmission named
Nitharshan which gave a day by day account of the events. As
days passed by, the deterioration in Thileepan's health
caught the headlines of the Tamil dailies. Coloured posters
began to appear in all the villages. Loudspeaker fitted cars
and vans were seen in villages making announcements on the
fast and asking public to picket IPKF camps and appeal for
justice.
I was informed that there had been a skirmish on the 16th
of September between the public and the IPKF at Neervelli
when a jeep carrying IPKF personnel had been carelessly
driven at a picket line - and two women had been knocked
down. The public gathered and surrounded the jeep and
assaulted the IPKF officers. Three of them were tied up and
thrown to the road. They were later released when a higher
ranking officer intervened and gave an assurance that an
inquiry would be held. On the same day, people who went to
picket outside the old Dutch Fort military camp, had entered
the recently opened Pannai Police Station in Jaffna,
ransacked the whole place, and tore off the uniforms of the
Police Officers. The police station was forcibly shut and
the police officers took refuge in the Fort military camp I
felt the tension mounting day by day.
The
Citizen Committees, trade unions, students unions, teachers
associations, religious leaders, all held meetings and
discussed the issues relating to Thileepan's fast and passed
resolutions and submitted memoranda to the overall commander
of the IPKF, Lt. General Depinder Singh requesting the
Indian representatives to intervene and stop the fast and
initiate immediate efforts to set up the interim
administration in the North and East. But nothing moved
fast enough to stop Thileepan's death. Thileepan died on the
26th of September 1987. There was widespread grief in
the North. There can be little doubt that Thileepan's
martyrdom had a profound effect on every Tamil soul in Sri
Lanka. Thousands of people from the North and East poured
into Jaffna as the news of his death spread.
Judging by past events, everyone expected a
violent reaction in the North and East, following
Thileepan's death, but to everybody's surprise the funeral
turned into a peaceful day of mourning. The LTTE members
moved in decisively to curb any kind of violence. They
moved all state owned buses into depots and guarded them.
They also provided cover to government institutions after
some attempts had been made to set fire to them. The Tamil
daily Eelamurasu as well as the TV Nitharshan carried the
LTTE leader,
Prabakharan's appeal to the people not to destroy or
damage public property, as this was the property of Tamil
Eelam.
Black flags were seen everywhere - on the roads,
in houses, churches, temples, trees, public buildings and so on
Thousands of sobbing men, women and children followed the body
covered with the red flag of the Tigers with their emblem on it.
Thileepan's body was taken on a decorated van through the
villages for the people to pay their homage and finally taken to
Suthumalai where it was kept for the people to pay their last
respects. I was later informed that his body was donated to the
medical faculty of Jaffna University. The LTTE said that this
had been his last wish.
Thileepan's death brought sadness and sorrow and also
fear to many people. Most of them had genuinely believed
that the Indians would intervene and stop the disaster.
They began to have doubts about India's conduct. They
began to say 'this could have been avoided' and 'India
should have moved fast' and 'India should not have let
this happen' and so on. The Tamil dailies began to carry
articles criticising the handling of the whole issue by
the Indians. I could feel the tension mounting..."
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- in Tamil Nadu -
மாவீரன்" திலீபனுக்கு வீரவணக்கம்
செலுத்திடுவோம்...! இந்தியரசின் துரோகத்தை வேரறுத்திடுவோம்...!
இன்று மாலை 26 - 9 - 2009 "மாவீரன்" திலீபன் 22 ஆம்
ஆண்டு வீரவணக்கப் பொதுக்கூட்டம்
உரைவீச்சு : சீமான் - இடம் : பிரியா திருமண மண்டபமருகில்,
முகப்பேர்
ஏற்பாடு : நாம் தமிழர் இயக்கம், தமிழ் நாடு.
Pirapaharan pays homage to Thileepan on 21st anniversary
[TamilNet, Monday, 15 September 2008]
Velupillai Pirapaharan, the
leader of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) paid homage to Lt. Col.
Thileepan on Monday at an undisclosed location in Vanni, when the Tigers
commenced to mark the 21st death anniversary of Thileepan's fast to death
campaign, according to LTTE officials in Vanni.
Pirapaharan pays homage to Thileepan on 20th anniversary
[TamilNet, Saturday, 15 September 2007]
The Leader of Tamil Eelam, Velupillai Pirapaharan, paid homage
to Lt. Col. Thileepan (Rasiah Parthipan), at an undisclosed location in Vanni
Saturday. Thileepan, LTTE's political wing leader for the Jaffna district, who
fasted unto death in a twelve days' campaign putting forward five demands to the
Indian government to meet the aspirations of the Tamil people soon after the
signing of the Indo-Sri Lankan agreement in 1987.
Tamil Eelam leader paying homage to Lt. Col. Thileepan [Photo: LTTE]
Lt. Col. Thileepan began his fasting on 15 September 1987 in front of the
Nalloor Kandasamy temple and he passed away on September 26, 1987. The
five demands Lt.Colonel Thileepan put forward to the Indian government were:
All Tamils detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act should be
released.
The colonisation by Sinhalese in Tamil areas under the guise of
rehabilitation should be stopped.
All such rehabilitation should be stopped until an interim
government is formed.
The Sri Lankan government should stop opening new Police stations
and camps in the Northeastern province.
The Sri Lankan army and Police should withdraw from schools in Tamil
villages and the weapons given by the Sri Lankan government to
'homeguards' should be withdrawn under the supervision of the Indian
army.
Thileepan Day observed in Jaffna, 26 September 2006
Jaffna University students Tuesday observed the Memorial Day
of Lieutenant Colonel Thileepan who led a fast to death campaign protest
demanding the withdrawal of the Indian Peace Keeping Forces (IPKF) from
Northeast, said student union members who organised the event at the Jaffna
campus.
Despite the heavy deployment of Sri Lanka
Army (SLN) troops and police force in anticipation of student unrest on the
Thileepan Day, events commemorating the day were held in several schools and
temples in the Jaffna peninsula peacefully.
The Thileepan monument located at Nallur in a public place was garlanded and
lamps lit at its dais early at dawn by local residents.
The nineteenth death anniversary of Lt. Col.
Thileepan, a political leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, who
fasted unto death in 1987, and the fifth death anniversary of Col. Shankar,
a senior commander and the founder of the Tiger air-wing, who was killed in
a Sri Lankan Deep Penetration Unit triggered Claymore mine in Vanni in 2001,
were commemorated in NorthEast on Tuesday. Hundreds of people took part in
token fasts. Temple and church bells were rung at 10:48 a.m. The leader of
the LTTE, Mr. V. Pirapaharan, paid homage to Thileepan and Shankar at a
commemoration event. Lt .Col. Thileepan fasted in front of the Nallur
Temple, in Jaffna district for 12 days sacrificing his life on 26 September
1987.
Remembrance events were held at the District
Secretariat compounds in Kilinochchi, Iranaimadu, Mankulam and in
Mullaithivu in Vanni.
Political Head of LTTE's Women Wing, Thamilini, Jaffna District Political
Head C. Ilamparuthi, Head of Tamileelam Judiciary E. Pararajasingham (Para)
and Head of Tamileelam Heroes Secretariat, Pon. Thiyagam, addressed the
audience.
"In the history of our liberation struggle, year 1987 witnessed a series of
major challenges. Among the challenges, Thileepan marched forward with
confidence and stood up for the policy. With his ultimate sacrifice, he
shaped the political thinking of the whole people and strengthened the
willpower of the Tamil nation," Mr. Para said in his address.
"The military psy-ops, propaganda, counter-insurgency tactics and thousands
of paramilitary cadres of a superior military power, skilled in warfare,
could not destroy Eealm Tamils willpower that sustained the struggle and
multiplied our ability to resist the Sri Lankan state as a result," he
further said.
In Batticaloa, LTTE's Political Head of Batticaloa District Daya Mohan,
addressing the audience at Moonkilattu heroes cemetary for
Batticaloa-Amparai war heroes in Udayarkattu, remembered the Thileepan's
non-violent fast-to-death campaign before a war broke out between the Tigers
and the Indian forces.
"Tamileelam national consciousness was strengthened by the non-violent
sacrifices of Thileepan and Batticaloa mother Annai Poopathy in a unique
way," Mr. Daya mohan observed. Tiger Commander Umaram lit the traditional
flame and the flame of sacrifice was lit by Nalan, the administrative head
of the elite commando Jayanthan Brigade of the Tigers.
பத்தொன்பது ஆண்டுகளுக்கு முன்பு
நல்லூர்க் கந்தசாமி கோவில் வீதியில் ஓருயிர் தன்னைத்தானே சிலுவையில் அறைந்து
கொண்டது. தனது மக்களின் விடிவுக்காக, தனது வாழ்வைத் தியாகம் செய்து, தனது
சாவைச் சந்திப்பதற்காக அந்த உயிர் தன்கையில் எடுத்துக் கொண்ட ஆயுதம் அகிம்சை
என்ற அழைக்கப்பட்ட கோட்பாடு ஆகும்!. பத்தொன்பது ஆண்டுகளுக்கு முன்னர்
பல்லாயிரக் கணக்கான மக்கள் பரிதவித்துப் பார்த்திருக்க தன் உடலையும், உயிரையும்
துடிக்கத் துடிக்க தற்கொடையாக்கிய ஒரு மாவீரனின் தியாகம் நமக்கு சொன்ன,
இன்னமும் சொல்லி வருகின்ற செய்தி என்ன?
more
"...Preparations to commemorate eighteenth death anniversary of
Lt.Col.Thileepan (Rasaiah Parthipan), who fasted to death during the
occupation of
Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) in Jaffna, have begun in several
parts of NorthEast with red and yellow flags symbolizing the
Liberation Tigers being flown at main roads, key junctions, business
premises and Government buildings, sources said. Thileepan passed away
two weeks into his fast after placing five demands to the Indian
Government. Leader
of Liberation Tigers, V Pirapaharan, paid floral tribute to
Thileepan's framed photograph in an undisclosed location in Vanni..."more
"..தியாகி திலீபன்சொன்ன- செய்தி என்ன? "இந்த இனம்-
இந்தத் தமிழினம் அடங்காது! அது போராடும்! ஆயுதம் இல்லாவிட்டாலும் அது போராடும்.
புல்லையும் எடுத்து அது போராடும். அடக்கு முறைக்கு அது வளைந்து கொடுக்காது!.
பேரம் பேசாது-விட்டுக் கொடுக்காது. ஆயுதம் இல்லாவிட்டாலும் -உணவு
இல்லாவிட்டாலும் இந்த இனம் தலை வணங்காது! அது தொடர்ந்து போராடும். தன்னுடைய
விடுதலைக்காக-நியாயத்திற்காக- நீதிக்காக -அது எந்த சக்தியையும் எதிர்த்துப்
போராடும்." ..
more
"The final day of the seventeenth death anniversary of a senior leader
of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Lt. Colonel Thileepan was
observed Sunday throughout Jaffna district. The main event was held Sunday
morning at Nallur Kandasamy Temple premises where Lt Colonel Thileepan
passed away after two weeks fasting unto death putting forward five demands
to the Indian Government."
more
"..Jaffna came to a standstill Friday as thousands gathered at the
Nallur Temple grounds to observe the sixteenth death anniversary of Lt. Col.
Thileepan, the LTTE leader who fasted unto death in 1987 when the Indian
army was in occupation of Jaffna and most parts of the northeast. Shops,
offices and workplaces were closed to mark the final day of the weeklong
remembrance..." more
"The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam have begun peace negotiations with
the United National Front government sincerely and with confidence that we
can achieve full autonomy based on Tamil nationality, Tamil homeland and the
right of self determination" said the Head of the LTTE's Judiciary Mr.
Pararajasingham addressing the concluding ceremony of the week long
observance in honour of the Tiger martyr Lt.Colonel Thileepan in
Poonthottam, Vavuniya Thursday morning..."
more
"The commemoration of Thileepan, a senior member of the Liberation Tigers
who fasted unto death on 26 September 1987, was observed Wednesday in many
parts of the northeastern province of Sri Lanka which are under the control
of the Sri Lankan army.Undergraduates of the Jaffna University lit a lamp
before a portrait of Thileepan in the morning. Posters commemorating
Thileepan were put up in many parts of the Jaffna town. Posters and
decorations came up in several parts of the Batticaloa districts too. Some
of these were put up near army camps and Police stations. .."
more
"The final day of the Thileepan remembrance week was marked with fasts
held all over the areas in the north-east that are under the control of the
Liberation Tigers. Reports from Batticaloa said that thousands of civilians
had joined the fast in Kokkaddicholai, west of Batticaloa today. Sources
said that at least one person from each household in the area took part in
the fast and that there will be a major cultural function tonight in the
village..."
more
withdraw Sinhalese army camps from Tamil areas, 
"Our
Liberation struggle has achieved tremendous victories at great cost. All these
achievements were victories which our movement earned in the course of our armed
struggle. But my dear comrade Thileepan's death is different from everything
else ; it is something to be pondered over because it is something qualitatively
different.
