Pirapaharan pays homage to Thileepan on 20th anniversary

[TamilNet, Saturday, 15 September 2007, 13:11 GMT]
Leader of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, Velupillai Pirapaharan, paid homage to Lt. Col. Thileepan (Rasiah Parthipan), at an undisclosed location in Vanni Saturday. Thileepan, LTTE's political wing leader for the Jaffna district, who fasted unto death in a twelve days' campaign putting forward five demands to the Indian government to meet the aspirations of the Tamil people soon after the signing of the Indo-Sri Lankan agreement in 1987.



Lt. Col. Thileepan began his fasting on 15 September 1987 in front of the Nalloor Kandasamy temple and he passed away on September 26, 1987.

The five demands Lt.Colonel Thileepan put forward to the Indian government were:

1. All Tamils detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act should be released.
   
   
2. The colonisation by Sinhalese in Tamil areas under the guise of rehabilitation should be stopped.
   
   
3. All such rehabilitation should be stopped until an interim government is formed.
   
   
4. The Sri Lankan government should stop opening new Police stations and camps in the Northeastern province.
   
   
5. The Sri Lankan army and Police should withdraw from schools in Tamil villages and the weapons given by the Sri Lankan government to 'homeguards' should be withdrawn under the supervision of the Indian army.