Posts Categorized: Biography

by T. Sabaratnam, August 28, 2004 Chapter 12 Original index to series Original Chapter 13 Adele’s Influence The third and fourth matters on which Pirapaharan’s attention was focused during the closing months of 1983 were interestingly intertwined.  They involved the theoretical issue of the role of women in the freedom struggle and Pirapaharan’s personal life…. Read more »

by T. Sabaratnam, August 20, 2004 Chapter 11 Original index to series Original Chapter 12 The Training In September, 1983 Chennai was full of Sri Lankan Tamil boys.  They were taken to Delhi in batches in luxury buses by RAW officers. “It was a tiring, long journey,” Nirupan (not his real name), a youth from… Read more »

by T. Sabaratnam, August 2004 Chapter 10 Original index to series Original Chapter 11 Training Militants  Indira Gandhi always called President Jayewardene ‘the old fox.’  Her assessment of him was that he could not be trusted.  Her opinion of Jayewardene was based on the information given to her by her friend Sirimavo Bandaranaike, the lady… Read more »

By T. Sabaratnam, July 19, 2004 Chapter 9 Original index to series Original Chapter 10 The Overt Track The second fortnight of August 1983 is as important to the Tamil freedom struggle and the history of Sri Lanka as the last ten days of July and the first 17 days of August.  Indira Gandhi put… Read more »

by T. Sabaratnam, June 2004 Chapter 8 Original index to series Original Chapter 9 India’s Solution The Sixth Amendment produced two immediate results. Firstly, Indira Gandhi made her second telephone call within 12 hours of its passage. Secondly, the TULF decided the next day, 6 August, to quit parliament and take refuge in India. These… Read more »

by T. Sabaratnam, June 2004 Chapter 7 Original index to series Original Chapter 8 Finding Scapegoats  Jayewardene was disturbed by the criticism of the attacks on Tamils by many Western countries and international human rights watchers. Indira Gandhi’s telephone call on Thursday, 28 July evening upset him more. As mentioned earlier he, asked Ranil Wickremesinghe… Read more »

by T. Sabaratnam, June 2004 Chapter 6 Original index to series Original Chapter 7 Indian Factor President Jayewardene realized on Wednesday evening, after answering Indira Gandhi’s telephone call, that the riots had spawned unintended results. Firstly, it had, while weakening the Tamils, also weakened him and the Sinhala people, mainly by damaging their international image…. Read more »

by T. Sabaratnam, June 11, 2004 Chapter 5 Original index to series Original Chapter 6 Tamil Nadu Erupts Tamil Nadu erupted in anger on Tuesday, 26 July 1983, when news spread that atrocities had been committed on Tamils in Sri Lanka. Thousands of Tamils poured onto the streets in Chennai, Madurai and other cities denouncing… Read more »

by T. Sabaratnam, June 2004 Chapter 4 Original index to series Original Chapter 5 The prison massacre on Monday, July 25, 1983 that killed 35 of their colleagues made the 28 prisoners in C3 feel insecure. They felt that they would be the next target. Three of them – Panagoda Maheswaran, Paranthan Rajan and Douglas… Read more »

by T. Sabaratnam, May 31, 2004 Chapter 3 Original index to series The Talk In the last chapter, I referred to the information that my friend in the Jathika Seva Sangamaya (JSS) gave me about the final solution. I also said that at that time I did not realize the actual meaning of that phrase…. Read more »

by T. Sabaratnam, May 20, 2004 Chapter 2 Original index to series I was upset when I saw flames leap up in the direction of Borella. I was deeply troubled when more tongues of flame rose threateningly in that vicinity. Was the information Piyadasa had given me coming true? Telephone calls further disturbed me. Tamils were… Read more »

by T. Sabaratnam, published April 30, 2004 Introduction to Volume 2 Original index to series The Ambush Pirapaharan and his men alighted from the minibus which Sellakili parked along the crossroad that connected Point Pedro Road with Palaly Road. They walked up to the junction, in small groups of two or three, turned towards Jaffna and… Read more »

by T. Sabaratnam, April 21, 2004 Volume One Index Original index to series Introduction In the first volume, I chronicled the birth, childhood, growth and the political environment which conditioned the thinking of Pirapaharan. His was a conservative family. His father, Velupillai, was a land development officer in the Sri Lankan government whose ambition was to… Read more »

by T. Sabaratnam; published April 15, 2004 Volume 1, Chapter 36 Original index of series Dear Readers, With this Chapter I am concluding the first of this 3-volume series. Pirapaharan has entered the scene. From the Thirunelveli ambush Pirapaharan asserts his superiority and gives a new direction to the struggle. At this stage I seek your… Read more »

by T. Sabaratnam, April 7, 2004 Volume 1, Chapter 35 Original index of series Unguarded Remark David Selbourne was a British journalist who worked for the Manchester Guardian freelanced for many other journals. He had been at Oxford University with Lalith Athulathmudali. He visited Sri Lanka in June 1982 and was introduced to President Jayewardene, Gamini… Read more »

by T. Sabaratnam, March 31, 2004 Volume 1, Chapter 34 Original index of series Eyewitness Account I was in Trincomalee on 27 November 1982 with Daily News presidential reporter Norton Weerasinghe and photographer Sena Vithanagama to cover the foundation-laying function of the Mitsui Cement Factory the next morning. We met Trincomalee Member of Parliament Rajavarothayam Sampanthan at… Read more »

by T. Sabaratnam, March 25, 2004 Volume 1, Chapter 33 Original index of series Traitors The decision taken by the TULF Working Committee at its meeting on 11 May 1983 at its Nallur office to contest the local government election fixed for 18 May, despite the opposition of the militants, caused the political eclipse of… Read more »

by T. Sabaratnam, March 15, 2004 Volume 1, Chapter 32 Original index of series Grabbing Land A joint police and army team led by police detectives raided the Pankulam settlement of Tamils of the Indian origin on the orders of Vavuniya Assistant Government Agent at 10 a.m. on 6 April 1983 and set fire to… Read more »

by T. Sabaratnam; published March 3, 2004 Volume 1, Chapter 31 Original index of series Filling the Vacuum Pirapaharan landed near Valvettithurai before dawn on 18 February 1983, one and a half years after he left for Tamil Nadu. When he left on midnight of 6 June 1981, six days after he witnessed the burning… Read more »