Thileepan

Parthipan was born on 29 November 1963.[6][lower-alpha 1] He was from Urelu near Urumpirai in northern Ceylon.[9] His father was a Tamil teacher and he had three older brothers.[9] His mother died when Parthipan was three months old.[9] After his father died of diabetes he was brought up by his brothers.[9] He was educated at Jaffna Hindu College.[7][8][9] After school he enrolled in the University of Jaffna.[7][9]

Parthipan joined the militant Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) prior to the 1983 Black July anti-Tamil riots.[8] He was given the nom de guerre Thileepan. Injured in the stomach in May 1987 during the Vadamarachchi Operation (Operation Liberation), he became the LTTE's political leader for Jaffna peninsula.[10][11]

As hostilities increased in northern Sri Lanka, the LTTE handed over a letter to the Indian High Commissioner on 13 September 1987 making five demands: the release of all political prisoners held under the Prevention of Terrorism Act and emergency regulations; cessation of Sinhalese colonisation of Tamil areas under the guise of "rehabilitation"; cessation of all "rehabilitation" activities until the establishment of the Interim Administrative Council; cessation of construction of police stations in the Northern and Eastern provinces; and the disarmament of Home Guards and withdrawal of the army/police from schools and colleges.[12][13][14][lower-alpha 2] The demands were aimed at the Indian rather than the Sri Lankan government because the LTTE believed that Indians could force the Sri Lankans to comply.[14] The LTTE gave the Indians 24 hours to respond but no response, or even an acknowledgement, was received.[12]

Determined to make the Indians meet the demands, Thileepan began a hunger strike on 15 September 1987 in front of Nallur Kandaswamy Temple.[13][17][18] Thileepan gave speeches which were broadcast on Nidharshanam, the LTTE's TV stations.[10][11] People from all over Jaffna peninsula came to observe and participate in the hunger strike.[10][11] On 22 September 1987 Indian High Commissioner J. N. Dixit arrived at Palaly Airport and was met by LTTE leader V. Prabhakaran who wanted Dixit to go and see Thileepan.[11] Dixit wanted a written guarantee from Prabhakaran that Thileepan would end his hunger strike if Dixit met with him but Prabhakaran couldn't give the guarantee.[11] As his condition deteriorated, Thileepan stopped giving speeches.[10] After refusing food or water for 12 days, Thileepan died on 26 September 1987.[13][19][20][21] After a "martyr's funeral" in Jaffna, Thileepan's body was handed over to the University of Jaffna's medical faculty.[10] Thileepan's death resulted in large anti-government and anti-Indian protests in northern Sri Lanka.[13][19][14]

A statue of Thileepan was built behind Nallur Kandaswamy Temple in 1988.[22][23] After the Sri Lankan military re-captured the Valikamam region in 1996 they destroyed the statue.[22][23] The statue was re-built in 2003 during the Norwegian mediated Cease Fire Agreement.[24] After war resumed, Thileepan's photograph and decorative lamps at the statue were damaged by the army on 26 October 2006.[22][23] Thileepan's statue was attacked and destroyed by armed men on 18 November 2007.[22] The remnants of Thileepan's memorial, the pillar, was destroyed by the army on 21 March 2010.[23]

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• Tamil Nation
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