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Pirapaharan By: T. Sabaratnam 7.
The Cyanide Suicide Sivakumaran The
death
of nine spectators during the closing ceremony of the Fourth
International Tamil Research Conference ended all the efforts Sirimavo
Bandaranaike government had been making in 1973 to pacify the Tamil United
Front. The deaths pained the hearts and wounded the feelings of the
Tamil people, youths the most. Militant
youths decided to take revenge and they selected Jaffna Mayor and SLFP
Jaffna Organizer Alfred Duraiappah as the target. Duraiappah was close
to Posts and Telecommunications Minister Chelliah Kumarasuriyar who had played a role in hindering the holding of the conference in Jaffna.
Duraiappah aided him and was responsible for the non-availability of the
Duraiappah Stadium for the closing ceremony of the conference. Two
militant group leaders, independent of each other, decided to
assassinate Duraiappah. One of them was Sivakumaran, son of Ponnuthurai
and Annalechuni of Urumpirai, a village famed for Tamil militancy. The
other was Pirapaharan, then 19. Sivakumaran considered the police firing
at the conference a personal affront. He was a leading member of the
Volunteer Force, raised to assist the conduct of the conference of
reputed Tamil scholars worldwide. For Pirapaharan, who was in Tamil Nadu
when the conference took place, the ugly disruption of the conference
and its ill-fated ending was an outrage of the Tamil culture, Tamil
pride. Sivakumaran,
born into the family of a passionate Federal Party supporters, had his
early schooling at Urumpirai Hindu College and his GCE Advanced Level
studies at Jaffna Hindu College. He joined Kokkuvil Junior Technical
College for his professional education, but dropped out in two months due
to his militant activities. He joined the Tamil Students Union (TSU) in
1971, a year after its formation, but had taken to political violence the
previous year when he placed a time bomb in Deputy Minister Somaweera
Chandrasiri’s car. Then in 1971 he threw a hand bomb at Duraiappah’s
car. His
colleagues and acquaintances speak of him with affection. Says Mavai
Senathirajah; He
was a very sensitive person.
He always spoke about armed struggle.
He
argued that Federal Party should play the role of an independence
movement and it should form an armed wing to carry on an armed struggle. Sivakumaran's
model for the independence struggle was Bangladesh. There, Mujibur
Rehman’s Awamy League took forward the independence struggle and armed
groups the armed struggle. Rudhramoorthy Cheran says; He
would discuss all night the need for an armed struggle, how it should be
conducted and the relationship that needed to be built between the
political and armed wings. Sivakumaran
teamed up with the Thangathurai- Kuttimani group for some time, but broke
away and set up his own group, known as the Sivakumaran group. He was
arrested in February 1972 for throwing the hand bomb at Duraiappah’s car
parked along First Cross Street. Duraiappah had walked up to the Jaffna Rest
House and was having tea with Jaffna Magistrate Colin Mendis when
Sivakumaran threw the bomb. The car was extensively damaged. Sivakumaran
was charged before the Jaffna magistrate, but C. Suntharalingam, his
lawyer, objected to the case being heard by the Jaffna magistrate, a
friend of Duraiappah. The case was transferred to the Mallakam
magistrate who turned down the bail application ruling saying he had no
authority to grant bail in such cases. Sivakumaran was released after some months
due to lack of evidence. He
was tortured during the investigation. It was unbearable, he later told
his colleagues. He told them that he had decided not to get caught by the police again. I
would rather die than get caught. It is better to die than betray your
colleagues or movement to the police. Mavai
Senathirajah, arrested in 1973, confirmed the severity of the torture.
He said; Torture
was very severe, unbearable. One night I was taken to an open ground and
was beaten till I fainted. The torture team thought I was dead and left
me there and went away.
I was picked up by an army patrol. Sivakumaran
found a way to escape police torture. He decided that it was better to
commit suicide. He decided to carry with him a capsule of
instant-killing poison cyanide. Sivakumaran thus originated the cyanide
suicide culture. Sivakumaran
played a leading role in the Tamil Research Conference Volunteer Corps.
He helped decorate Jaffna city and turn it into a cultural park in just
three days. His contemporaries say he was sullen after Tamil Research
Conference killings. He was itching for revenge. He told his friends
that he would take revenge on two persons- Duraiappah and police
officer Chandrasekera. His friends recall him vowing; These
rascals who caused the death of nine innocent people should not go
unpunished. Police
Killing The
Sirimavo
Bandaranaike government, instigated by Kumarasuriyar, had interfered
with the holding of the Fourth Tamil Research Conference from the
beginning. Kumarasuriyar wanted to turn the prestigious international
conference into a government show and earn for the government the good
name of looking after the Tamils. He wanted Prime Minister Sirimavo
Bandaranaike to open the conference in keeping with the precedent set in Malaysia and Tamil Nadu. The
inaugural conference was held in Kuala Lumpur in 1966. Tunku Abdul
Rehman, prime minister of Malaysia, opened the conference. The second
was held in Tamil Nadu, India, on 2 January 1968 which Indian president
Zahir Hussain inaugurated. The third was held in Paris and was opened by
the Secretary General of UNESCO. Sri Lanka offered to host the
fourth conference. The
government’s opposition, especially Kumarasuriyar’s efforts to block
it from being held in Jaffna, was taken by the Jaffna youths as a
challenge to them. They rose
in unison to make the conference a success. They decorated the whole of
Jaffna in the traditional Tamil style. Banana trees were tied to every
electric lamp post and between them were strung
mavilai thoranam (mango and tender coconut leaves). Welcome banners
were strung at every road junction. Jaffna town wore a festive look. Indian
and foreign researchers were thrilled by the festive atmosphere.
Professor Naina Mohammed, a Tamil scholar from Trichi, Janarthanam and
some others who called on Thanthai Chelva
at his Kankesanthurai home to pay their respects commented: Sir, we did not witness such enthusiasm
in Tamil Nadu. People of Jaffna, we feel, are more enthusiastic. Thanthai
Chelva replied; Jaffna
people are more emotional about their language and culture. That is
because, I feel, they feel threatened.
The
conference commenced on
January 3 and concluded on January 9. It was a highly intellectual
exercise and entry to the various sessions held mainly at the
Veerasingham Hall and Timmer Hall was limited to researchers and
academics. The concluding ceremony on January 10 was open to the public.
The organizers booked the Duraiappah Stadium for the function. Crowd
gathered from the afternoon, but the organizers found the gates of the
stadium locked. Guards said the doors were locked on the orders of the
mayor, Alfred Duraiappah, and they would open the doors only if the mayor
instructed
them to do so. All efforts to trace Duraiappah failed. He had gone into hiding. In
desperation the organizers decided to hold the meeting opposite the
Veerasingham Hall. A stage was hurriedly erected in front of the hall and
the crowd asked to sit on the ground opposite, leaving the Kankesanthurai
road free. The milling crowd of over 10,000 overflowed onto the road. Jaffna
Traffic Inspector Senathirajah who came along that road from Jaffna town
was stopped by the volunteers who requested him to turn back and use the
Clock Tower Road. They told him politely that it would not be proper for
a vehicle to pass that way when foreign guests were addressing the
audience.
Inspector Senathirajah turned back and went to the police station
through the alternate route. A
while later Sergeant Walter Perera of Jaffna Traffic Police came on his
mobile rounds from Jaffna town and was told the same thing. He went back
and reported the matter to his superior, Inspector Nanayakkara, who
complained to Assistant Superintendent of Police Chandrasekera. The time
was about 8.30pm. Chandrasekera
went to the Veerasingham with a truck-load of riot squad police who carried
cane wicker shields and batons. Professor Naina Mohammed of
Trichi Jameel Mohammed College, an erudite Tamil scholar, was then
delivering his address. The people were spell-bound by his chaste Tamil
and flawless oratory. Pin drop silence prevailed. Every thing was
orderly and disciplined. Chandrasekera, through a loud hailer, asked the
people to disperse. Then he ordered the heavy booted policemen to get
off the truck. They jumped onto the road and took up attacking positions
behind the truck. Chandrasekera ordered the truck to drive forward and
the policemen to march behind the truck. Volunteers begged the police
not to disrupt the meeting. Police replied with a fierce attack with
their batons. Police
fired tear gas shells and most of them fell among the crowd. One fell
near the stage. Prof S.Vithiananthan, the president of the conference,
fell unconscious. Speakers on the platform were blinded by the tear gas.
Policemen then fired into the air using live bullets. One struck an
electric wire,
snapping it.
The live wire fell on the fleeing crowd. Seven persons were
electrocuted. They died on the spot. Two of the several people injured
died later. The Fourth Tamil Research Conference ended in confusion, a
tragedy which the Tamils never forgave. They
would also never forgive the manner in which the government acted after the
tragedy. The Prime Minister declined to condemn the police action. She justified
the police action saying that the crowd started the attack.
Chandrasekera, the officer, and his men were promoted. When pressure
mounted, the government ordered a magisterial investigation. It was
conducted by K. Palakiddnar, the magistrate of Jaffna, but the government
failed to implement Palakidnar’s recommendations. Tamils
lost their faith in the police and the judiciary. The Citizen Committee
of Jaffna, a non-governmental organization, arranged for an impartial
inquiry. The three-member
committee comprised retired Supreme Court Judges O. L. de Krester and V.
Manickavasagar and former Bishop Rev. Sabapathy Kulendran.
In their report released in March 1974 the committee blamed the
police for the attack. The
Thamil
Youth Forum (TYF) organized protests against the police. It declared
February 4, Independence Day, as the Day of
Prayer and Remembrance. It organized a fast at Muniappar Temple,
close to the scene of the killing and appealed to the people to hold
memorial services in all Hindu temples and Christian churches. It called
on the students to boycott classes the previous day, February 3, as
independence day was a public holiday. Students
boycotted schools on February 3 despite the threats by the police. On
independence day, Jaffna was decked with black flags. Youths had hoisted
one on the top of Jaffna Clock Tower. Police were annoyed by it. They
assaulted passersby and got it removed. They went to the Jaffna market,
attacked shop owners and tore the black flags they had hoisted. A nasty
situation developed. From
then, shopkeepers and members of the general public in Jaffna were
forced to obey conflicting orders from the boys, as the militants were
called, and the police. Boys
would order the closing of shops and armed police would go round
ordering them to open them. A shopkeeper, Mylvaganam, encapsulated the
situation thus: We loved the boys and we obeyed their orders willingly.
Then the police comes and orders that we open the shops. We hated the
police.” The stage has thus been set for duel administration.
Confrontation between the youths and the police was developing Sivakumaran
made two assassination attempts after the Tamil Research conference tragedy. His first attempt was to shoot
Chandrasekera. Sivakumaran and a few of his group ambushed Chandrasekera
near Kailasanathar Temple. They blocked his jeep. Sivakumaran opened the
door and fired at Chandrasekera. The revolver refused to fire. It was
locally made. Chandrasekera jumped out, but Sivakumaran and his friends
had bolted. In his second attempt Sivakumaran waylaid Duraiappah’s car at
Ponnalai Bridge. It was also a failure. Collective
Pledge The
police
went all out to arrest Sivakumaran. He found his movement restricted;
his activities curbed. He decided to escape to Tamil Nadu for some time.
He needed cash. He asked two leading Tamil politicians for assistance.
They promised but failed to deliver. Sivakumaran was frustrated.
He told his colleagues: These people know only to talk. They do not act. Sivakumaran
decided to act. He planned to rob the Kopay branch of the People’s
Bank. On 5 June 1974 Sivakumaran and his men went to the bank soon after
it commenced business. Their plan was to shoot the police on guard
outside the bank, force their way in, herd the officials into a room and
rob the cash. Sivakumaran fired two shots at the police. He erred. His
bullets went astray. The police gave chase. Sivakumaran ran through the
red-earthed farm, but the police almost caught him. He
plucked the cyanide capsule hanging from his neck and swallowed it. . Police
took the unconscious boy to Jaffna hospital. News spread
instantaneously. This is how a GCE Advanced Level student at Urmpirai
Hindu College described the situation: We were in our class when the news
reached us. We were excited. An old boy of our college had sacrificed
his life for the sake of Mother Tamil. We sped in our bicycles to the
Jaffna Hospital when school closed. A huge crowd had already gathered
there. Most of them were students. We were told in the evening that he
was dead. We cried. Jaffna
cried. The entire Jaffna peninsula cried. All Sri Lankan Tamils cried.
It was a supreme sacrifice. An emotional wave swelled among the Tamil
community.
Students
took control of the funeral. They wanted to take the body to Jaffna
Hindu College where Sivakumaran did his GCE Advanced Level to enable the
student community to pay its last respects. Police refused permission
and students became boisterous and wanted to defy the police ban. Elders
intervened and avoided a clash between the police and the students. Independent
estimates place the crowd at around 15,000, the biggest at a
funeral in Jaffna.
Thamby
Sivakumaran had made the supreme sacrifice for the sake of the Tamil
people. His is a heroic act. Though I differ with him in the violent method he advocated
and practiced to achieve the objective of getting for the Tamil people
their birthright, I bow my head to him for his commitment and
dedication. Youths
were worked up. They lined up before Sivakumaran’s body when it was
laid on the funeral pyre and took the collective pledge; In
the name of Sivakumaran, in the name of his soul and body we undertake
to continue the struggle to gain independence for Tamils, and until we
gain that we will not retreat or rest. Tamils
eulogize Sivakumaran as the most loved and respected freedom fighter and
call him Eelam’s Bhagat Singh. The LTTE, in its Diary
of Combat (1984) describes Sivakumaran as; An
outstanding freedom fighter and a forerunner of armed resistance. Tamils
have accepted Sivakumaran as the first martyr in the armed struggle. His
death anniversary is observed by the Tamils as Manavar Eluchchi Nal -
Students'
Day of
Uprising. It was organized by the LTTE on the orders of Pirapaharan, who
is keen in acknowledging the contribution of others to the Tamil Freedom
Struggle. At the start it was observed on Sivakumaran's death
anniversary day, June
5. Since 1996 Students' Day has been shifted to June 6 as June 5 is the
World Environment Day. A
bronze statute, a defiant youth with his clinched fist outstretched
and dangling a broken chain, was erected in Sivakumaran's honor in 1975 in
his birthplace, Urumpirai. It was declared open by one of the founder
members of the Tamil Students Union, Muthukumaraswamy. The army destroyed
the statue in 1977, but another was erected again a year later. The army
destroyed it again in 1981. Saturday
Review of 27 February 1982 has recorded an interesting conversation
about the statue. More than 50 soldiers broke into the house of Sivakumaran’s
parents on 28 January 1982 saying they were looking for the militants
hiding in the house. “Whose
statue is this?’ the commanding officer asked Sivakumaran’s mother,
Annalechumy. “It’s
the piece of the statue of my son, Sivakumaran,” she replied. “Who
brought it here?” “Common
people.” “Where
is he now?” “He
died on 5 June 1974” Eight
years after his death it was no wonder the military officer was ignorant
about Sivakumaran. It is no wonder because even Prime Minister Sirimavo
Bandaranaike, members of her government and the police were insensitive
to the feelings of the Tamil people. This
is the copy of the secret report Jaffna police sent Bandaranaike and on which she
based her judgments. It was about Amirthalingam’s funeral oration. It
said: We
have a record of his speech at Sivakumaran’s funeral.
In that he
called that criminal a hero. Next:
Chapter
8: First Military Operation Will
be posted on: Earlier
Chapters: Introduction
Part 1 Introduction
Part 2 Chapter
1: Why didn’t he hit back? Chapter
2: Going in for a revolver Chapter
3: The Unexpected Explosion Chapter
4: Tamil Mood Toughens Chapter
5: Tamil Youths Turn Assertive Chapter
6: Birth of Tamil New Tigers
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