EROS founder dies

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 13 December 2006, 01:20 GMT]
Eliyathamby Ratnasabapathy, one of the founder members of the Eelam Revolutionary Organization of Students (EROS), passed away Tuesday morning in London after a prolonged illness. He was 68.

Born in Inuvil, Jaffna on 3 November 1938, he developed an interest in politics from he was young.

His concerns at the plight of the Tamil people of Sri Lanka turned him on his life’s struggle against oppression. He founded the Eelam Revolutionary Organisation of Students (EROS) in London in 1975, contested the parliamentary elections in 1989. He was elected to the Sri Lankan Parliament along with nine other members of EROS, but later resigned.

In a tribute Mr Ratnasabapathy, the Tamil Information Center (TIC) in London said: "Friends and colleagues describe him as a person steeped in communist ideals and as a visionary leader who campaigned resolutely throughout the major part of his life. Many members of the various Tamil militant groups regard him as a pioneer in the Tamil struggle for equality and justice and look upon him with great respect."