Tamils - a Trans State Nation..

"To us all towns are one, all men our kin.
Life's good comes not from others' gift, nor ill
Man's pains and pains' relief are from within.
Thus have we seen in visions of the wise !."
-
Tamil Poem in Purananuru, circa 500 B.C 

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CONTENTS OF
THIS SECTION

Thileepan Remembered: 2009 - 2008 - 2007 - 2006 - 2005 - 2004 - 2003 - 2002 - 2001 -1998


பாடும் பறவைகள் பாடுங்கள்...
Velupillai Pirabakaran on Thiyagi Thileepan, 1987 - in Tamil - in English  "தியாகி திலீபன் ஒரு இலட்சிய நெருப்பு"
Thileepan's 12 Day Fast... Video Tribute by  Jaffna Hindu College Old Boys...
Witness to Thileepan�s fast  - Adele Balasingham, 12 September 2007
Thileepans Fast to Death, 1987 - An Eye Witness Account
The Many Faces of Thileepan...

Thiyagi Thileepan as a ChildThileepan Fast to Death

 தமிழர்களின் போராட்டத்தின் ஒரு குறியீடு � திலீபன்! Sanmugam Sabesan,  15 September 2007
யாழ். கோட்டைக்கு முன்பாக 1987 ஆம் ஆண்டு தியாக தீபம் திலீபன் ஆற்றிய வரலாற்றுச் சிறப்புரை
நன்றி: புலிகளின்குரல்
லெப். கேணல் திலீபனின் ஒளிப்படத்தொகுப்பு

Thileepan Blogspot  "ஓ..என் நண்பனே..! மாவீரனே..! மண்ணோடு நீ கலந்து
மலராகிச் சிரிக்கின்றாய்
விண்ணோக்கி நான் பார்த்தால்
விண் மீனாய் ஒளிர்கின்றாய்
வாள் ஏந்தும் வீரருக்கு
வேராக நிற்கின்றாய்
விடிவு தேடும் மக்களுக்கு
விடிவெள்ளி நீ தானே."
more

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..." more

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

 

Thileepan's 12 Day Fast... Tribute by  Jaffna Hindu College Old Boys...


1st Day
2nd Day

3rd Day

4th Day
   

5th Day

6th Day
   

7th Day
8th Day

9th Day

10th Day

11th Day

12th Day

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)

 

Velupillai Pirabakaran on Thiyagi Thileepan in Tamil

தியாகி திலீபன் ஒரு இலட்சிய நெருப்பு

 

Velupillai Pirabakaran on Thiyagi Thileepan
English Message from Saturday Review, 28 September 1987

Thiyagi Thileepan Memorial"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 before Thileepan's Death
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."

Witness to Thileepan�s fast  - Adele Balasingham 12 September 2007

Adele BalasinghamAdele 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."

Thileepans Fast to Death, 1987 - An Eye Witness Account

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.

thileep.jpg (12669 bytes)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..." more

Thilleepan Remembered.... 2009..

- 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.

Thilleepan Remembered.... 2008..
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.


 

Thilleepan Remembered....2007..

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:

  1. All Tamils detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act should be released.
  2. The colonisation by Sinhalese in Tamil areas under the guise of rehabilitation should be stopped.
  3. All such rehabilitation should be stopped until an interim government is formed.
  4. The Sri Lankan government should stop opening new Police stations and camps in the Northeastern province.
  5. 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.
     
Thilleepan Remembered....2006...
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.

Thileepan, Shankar commemorated in NorthEast, 26 September 2006

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.

 

தியாகத்தின் செய்தி - Sanmugam Sabesan, 18 September 2006

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

Thilleepan Remembered....2005...
Thileepan's 18th anniversary commemorations begin, 15 September 2005 

"...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

Thilleepan Remembered....2004...
Thiyaga Theepam Thileepan -  தியாக தீபம் திலீபன் - Sanmugam Sabesan, 20 September 2004

"..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

Thileepan memorial day observed in Jaffna, 26 September 2004 

 "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

கனடா கியூபெக் மாநிலத்தில் நடைபெற்ற தியாகி திலீபன் நினைவு நாள் படத்தொகுப்பு,  24 September 2004
Thilleepan Remembered....2003...
Jaffna shuts down as thousands honour martyr 26 September 2003 

 "..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

Thilleepan Remembered....2002....
Lt.Col Thileepan death anniversary concludes in NE, 26 September 2002

"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

Thilleepan Remembered....2001...
Thileepan commemorated in areas under SLA 26 September 2001

"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

Thilleepan Remembered....1998...
Thileepan remembered 26 September 1998

 "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

The Many Faces  of  Thileepan

Thileepan as a ChildThileepan with his Brothers

 

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