Sri Sabaratnam
Sundaram Sri Sabaratnam (Tamil: சிறி சபாரத்தினம்; 28 August 1952 – 6 May 1986) was a Sri Lankan Tamil rebel and leader of the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization (TELO), a separatist Tamil militant organisation in Sri Lanka.
Sri Sabaratnam | |
|---|---|
சிறி சபாரத்தினம் | |
 | |
| Born | 28 August 1952 |
| Died | 6 May 1986 (aged 33) |
| Other names | Tall Sri |
| Years active | –1986 |
| Organization | Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization |
Early life
Sabaratnam was born on 28 August 1952.[1] Whilst in government custody between 1972 and 1975 his jailer nicknamed him "Tall Sri" to differentiate him from another Sri in custody.[2]
Neervely bank robbery
On 25 March 1981 a People's Bank van returning to Jaffna after collecting cash in Vadamarachchi was robbed of Rs. 8 million on the Jaffna-Point Pedro Road in Neervely.[3][4] N. Thangavelu (alias Thangadurai), S. Yogachandran (alias Kuttimani), Selvadurai Sivasubramaniam (alias Devan), Navaratnarah (Nadarajah) Sivapatham (alias Sivapalan Master) and Vythilingam Nadesathasan (Nadesudasan) were arrested and charged in connection with the robbery.[5] Sabaratnam was charged in absentia.[5] The trial at Colombo High Court commenced on 2 November 1982 and on 24 February 1983 all six defendants were found guilty and sentenced to life in prison.[5][4][6]
Sabaratnam became leader of TELO after the killing of Thangathurai and Kuttimani during the Welikada prison massacre in July 1983.[7][8][9]
Death
In April 1986 the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) banned TELO and set about killing its leader Sri Sabaratnam.[10] Sabaratnam went on the run, fleeing from TELO's main base in Kalviyankadu to Neervely, then to Kopay and finally to Kondavil.[11] The LTTE found out that he was in Kondavil and they, led by Kittu, cordoned off the area and started a house-to-house search, using loud hailers to warn local residents not to shelter Sabaratnam.[11] On 6 May 1986[lower-alpha 1] the LTTE discovered Sabaratnam in a tobacco field and Kittu shot him in the leg to prevent him escaping.[10][11][12] Sabaratnam pleaded with Kittu for his life, but Kittu shot him using a machine gun.[10][11] Sabaratnam's bullet ridden body was displayed at Kondavil bus stand before being handed over to his family.[10][11]
Notes
- Asian Tribune[9][10] and Tamil Times[12] state that he was killed on 6 May 1986; Sri-TELO[1] say 5 May 1986; Marks[2] and Wilson[13] say April or May 1986; and Wickramasinghe[14] says April 1986.
References
- "தன்னிகரற்ற தலைவர் சிறீசபாரத்தினத்துக்கு வீர வணக்கம் !". Sri-TELO. 5 May 2012.
- Marks, Thomas A. (1996). Maoist Insurgency Since Vietnam. Frank Cass. p. 188. ISBN 0-7146-4123-5.
- Jeyaraj, D. B. S. (7 August 2009). ""Operation KP": Extraordinary rendition of New Tiger Chief". dbsjeyaraj.com.
- Sri Kantha, Sachi (5 June 2013). "Kuttimani Files". Ilankai Tamil Sangam.
- "The Martyrdom of Thangathurai & Kuttimuni". Tamil Nation.
- "Life Sentence for Neerveli Six" (PDF). Tamil Times. II (5): 4. March 1983.
- Wilson, A. Jeyaratnam (2000). Sri Lankan Tamil Nationalism: Its Origins and Development in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries. C. Hurst & Co. p. 127. ISBN 1-85065-519-7.
- Jeyaraj, D. B. S. (5 April 1985). "How strong are the "boys"?". Frontline. 2.
- Rajasingham, K. T. (7 May 2012). "Sri Sabaratnam - The former TELO Leader, remembered on his 26th Death Anniversary". Asian Tribune.
- "Remembering Sri Sabaratnam, the TELO leader". Asian Tribune. 6 May 2005.
- Rajasingham, K. T. "Chapter 57: Kittu, the LTTE legend". Sri Lanka: The Untold Story.
- "Diary of Incidents" (PDF). Tamil Times. V (10): 14. August 1986. ISSN 0266-4488.
- Wilson, A. Jeyaratnam (2000). Sri Lankan Tamil Nationalism: Its Origins and Development in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries. C. Hurst & Co. p. 128. ISBN 1-85065-519-7.
- Wickramasinghe, Nira (2006). Sri Lanka in the Modern Age: A History of Contested Indentities. University of Hawaii Press. p. 289. ISBN 0-8248-3016-4.
Further reading
- Chris McDowell (1996). A Tamil Asylum Diaspora: Sri Lankan Migration, Settlement and Politics in Switzerland. Berghahn Books. ISBN 978-1-57181-917-8. Retrieved 8 February 2013.
- M. S. Kulandaswamy (1 January 2000). Sri Lankan Crisis: Anatomy of Ethnicity, Peace, and Security. Authorspress. ISBN 978-81-7273-033-8. Retrieved 8 February 2013.
