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Lt Col Thileepan through his sacrifice raised the political awareness of the Tamils

Lt Col Thileepan, an LTTE porali (fighter/member) who was instrumental in bringing women into the LTTE membership, began a fast unto death on September 12th 1987 putting forward the following five demands to the Indian government that had just landed its military two months earlier. The five demands are:

1. Release all political prisoners held under the infamous Prevention of Terrorism Act;
2. Halt creating Sinhala settlements in the Tamil homeland and halt all work in the pretext rehabilitation until an interim governing body is setup;
3. Stop opening Sri Lankan police stations in the Tamil homeland;
4. Disarm the all illegal groups armed by the Sri Lankan military; and
5. Vacate military from all schools.

All are reasonable demands to put to a “Peace Keeping Force”. Thileepan died, his demands unheeded, on September 26th, 12 days after he began his fast. Tamil people gathered in hundreds of thousands for the 12 days at the historic Nallur temple in Jaffna where Thileepan held his fast. These 12 days have been commemorated by the Tamils ever since. Majority of the LTTE poralees fast on this day of September 26th each year to remember Lt Col Thileepan.

In 2001 September LTTE had declared a unilateral ceasefire prior to the signing of the 2002 ceasefire agreement. On 26 September 2001, a senior LTTE porali, Col Sankar, was fasting with other LTTE poralees in memory of Thileepan. He was killed on that day by the deep penetration unit of the Sri Lankan military in Mullaithivu. This day therefore doubles up as the day to remember Col Sankar as well.

Through his fast and the ultimate sacrifice, Thileepan taught the Tamil people a great lesson. Tamils learnt the deceptive ways of the powerful, a lesson only those who struggle for freedom will ever learn.

That lesson strengthened the Tamil freedom struggle and keeps it strong to this day.

26 September 2006

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