Thiyaka Theepam [1]
Lt. Colonel

Thileepan
திலீபன்
Born
R. Parthipan

(1963-11-27)27 November 1963
Died26 September 1987(1987-09-26) (aged 23)
Nallur, Sri Lanka
Other namesAmirthalingam Thileepan
Years active1983 –1987
OrganizationLiberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam

Rasaiah Parthipan (Tamil: இராசையா பார்த்திபன்; 29 November 1963 – 26 September 1987; commonly known by the nom de guerre Thileepan) was a Tamil Eelam revolutionary and member of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a separatist Tamil militant organisation in Sri Lanka. He died while on hunger strike.[2][3][4][5][6]

Early life and family

Parthipan was born on 27 November 1963.[7][lower-alpha 1] He was from Urelu near Urumpirai in northern Ceylon.[10] His father was a Tamil teacher and he had three older brothers.[10] His mother died when Parthipan was three months old.[10] After his father died of diabetes he was brought up by his brothers.[10] He was educated at Jaffna Hindu College.[8][9][10] After school he enrolled in the University of Jaffna.[8][10]

LTTE

Parthipan joined the militant Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) prior to the 1983 Black July anti-Tamil riots.[9] 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.[11][12]

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.[13][14][15][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.[15] The LTTE gave the Indians 24 hours to respond but no response, or even an acknowledgement, was received.[13]

Hunger strike

Determined to make the Indians meet the demands, Thileepan began a hunger strike on 15 September 1987 in front of Nallur Kandaswamy Temple.[14][18][19] Thileepan gave speeches which were broadcast on Nidharshanam, the LTTE's TV stations.[11][12] People from all over Jaffna peninsula came to observe and participate in the hunger strike.[11][12] 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.[12] 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.[12] As his condition deteriorated, Thileepan stopped giving speeches.[11] After refusing food or water for 12 days, Thileepan died on 26 September 1987.[14][20][21][22] After a "martyr's funeral" in Jaffna, Thileepan's body was handed over to the University of Jaffna's medical faculty.[11]

Aftermath

LTTE leader Prabhakaran accused India of betraying the Tamils after vowing to protect them.[23] Thileepan's death resulted in large anti-government and anti-Indian protests in northern Sri Lanka.[14][20][15]

Statues

A statue of Thileepan was built behind Nallur Kandaswamy Temple in 1988.[24][25] After the Sri Lankan military re-captured the Valikamam region in 1996 they destroyed the statue.[24][25] The statue was re-built in 2003 during the Norwegian mediated Cease Fire Agreement.[26] After war resumed, Thileepan's photograph and decorative lamps at the statue were damaged by the army on 26 October 2006.[24][25] Thileepan's statue was attacked and destroyed by armed men on 18 November 2007.[24] The remnants of Thileepan's memorial, the pillar, was destroyed by the army on 21 March 2010.[25]

Notes

  1. ↑ Another source gives Parthipan's date of birth as 27 November 1963[8] whilst another gives his year of birth as 1962.[9]
  2. ↑ Sri Lankan sources falsely claim that Thileepan's hunger strike was a protest against the presence of the Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka.[16][17]

References

  1. ↑ "The light of sacrifice: Remembering Thileepan 31 years on | Tamil Guardian".
  2. ↑ de Silva, K. M. (1995). Regional Powers and Small State Security: India and Sri Lanka, 1977-1990. Woodrow Wilson Center Press. p. 258. ISBN 0-8018-5149-1.
  3. ↑ Cummings, Joe; Cannon, Teresa; Elliott, Mark; Ver Berkmoes, Ryan (2006). Sri Lanka. Lonely Planet. p. 309. ISBN 9781740599757.
  4. ↑ Balachandran, P. K. (3 July 2015). "Former LTTE Militants To Contest Polls As 'Crusaders For Democracy'". The New Indian Express.
  5. ↑ Subramanian, T. S. (7 February 1998). "Unravelling the plot". Frontline. 15 (3).
  6. ↑ Furlong, Ray (23 April 2009). "amil hunger strike in third week". BBC News.
  7. ↑ Arumugam, S. (1997). Dictionary of Biography of the Tamils of Ceylon (PDF). p. 230.
  8. 1 2 3 "Thileepan's 16th death anniversary to be commemorated". TamilNet. 4 September 2003.
  9. 1 2 3 Mehta, Raj K. (2010). Lost Victory: The Rise & Fall of LTTE Supremo, V. Prabhakaran. Pentagon Press. p. 176. ISBN 978-81-8274-443-1.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Wijerathna, Arunadale; Kulasuriya, Madhawa (26 April 2015). "Was Thileepan killed to make him a martyr?". Ceylon Today.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 Rajasingham, K. T. "Chapter 35: Accord turns to discord". Sri Lanka: The Untold Story. Archived from the original on 1 October 2002.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 Bhattacharya, Samir (2014). "Chapter 7: Caught in a Tangled Web". Nothing But! - Book Five: All is Fair in Love and War. Partridge Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4828-1733-1.
  13. 1 2 Sabesan. "Message of Sacrifice - 19 Years On..." Ilankai Tamil Sangam.
  14. 1 2 3 4 "Tamil Rebel Dies After 12-Day Fast; Crowds Press Demands". Los Angeles Times. United Press International. 27 September 1987.
  15. 1 2 3 Lahiri, Simanti (2014). Suicide Protest in South Asia: Consumed by Commitment. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-82099-8.
  16. ↑ "More and more and more". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka). 19 September 2004.
  17. ↑ Weerakkody, Kalinga (28 September 2002). "Students compelled to join LTTE hartal". The Island (Sri Lanka).
  18. ↑ Krishna, Sankaran (1999). Postcolonial Insecurities: India, Sri Lanka, and the Question of Nationhood. University of Minnesota Press. p. 179. ISBN 0-8166-3329-0.
  19. ↑ "LTTE leader pays homage to Thileepan, Sankar". TamilNet. 26 September 2008.
  20. 1 2 "A Tamil Separatist Leader Dies in Protest Fast". The New York Times. 27 September 1987.
  21. ↑ Murari, S. (2012). The Prabhakaran Saga: The Rise and Fall of an Eelam Warrior. SAGE Publications. p. 39. ISBN 978-81-321-0701-9.
  22. ↑ Sri-Skanda-Rajah, Usha S. (26 September 2015). "Thileepan: The Reckoning That Non-Violence Didn't Stand A Chance". Colombo Telegraph.
  23. ↑ "A Tamil Separatist Leader Dies in Protest Fast". The New York Times. 27 September 1987.
  24. 1 2 3 4 "Thileepan statue destroyed in Nalloor, Jaffna". TamilNet. No. 20 November 2007.
  25. 1 2 3 4 "Sinhalese soldiers, hooligans destroy Thileepan memorial in Jaffna". TamilNet. 23 March 2010.
  26. ↑ "Lt. Col. Thileepan memorial re-opened in Nallur". TamilNet. No. 25 August 2003.
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