National People’s Power (NPP) parliamentarian Rajeewan Jayachandramurthy paid tribute at the newly opened Thiyaga Theepam Thileepan archive in Nallur, Jaffna, on Saturday evening.

Rajeewan visited the site, located near the Thiyaga Theepam memorial in Nallur, where he honoured a statue of Thileepan and toured the archive, which contains materials commemorating the LTTE political leader.

Today marks 38 years since the death of Lt Col Thileepan, a political wing leader of the LTTE who fasted to death, in a protest appealing to the Indian government to honour pledges made to the Tamil people.

Thileepan began his fast on the September 15, 1987, with 100,000 people gathered around the historic Nallur Kandwaswamy Temple in Jaffna.

On September 13, 1987, Thileepan put forward five demands  to the Indian government following the signing of the Indo-Lanka accord in July 1987: 

Lt. Col. Thileepan, who fasted unto death 38 years ago, has been remembered in Nallur, Jaffna over the last 11 days.

Tamils have gathered daily at his memorial in Nallur since September 15th to commemorate Thileepan who launched a hunger strike in a protest appealing to the Indian government to honour the pledges made to the Tamil people. His hunger strike followed the signing of the Indo-Lanka Accord in July 1987. 

Day 11 

The United States has expanded its military partnership with Sri Lanka by funding a new English Language Lab at the Sri Lanka Navy’s academy in Trincomalee, a Tamil district that remains heavily militarised more than sixteen years after the end of the armed conflict.