Thileepan statue destroyed in Nalloor, Jaffna

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 November 2007, 05:23 GMT]
A gang of unidentified men went on rampage Sunday night, during the curfew hours, demolishing the statue of Lt. Col. Thileepan (Rasiah Parthipan) located behind the historic Nalloor Kanthaswamy Koayil on Point Pedro Nalloor road, sources in Jaffna said.

The memorial erected in 1988 was completely destroyed by Sri Lankan Army (SLA) when the SLA moved in to occupy Jaffna in 1996.

When Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) was implemented in 2002, the statue was reconstructed by the public. However, when clashes erupted between SLA and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Thileepan's photograph and decorative lamps were damaged the by SLA troops on 26 October, 2006.

The 18th anniversary memorial function was held recently near Thileepan's memorial on 26 October. However, within a few weeks the statute has once again been desecrated and destroyed.

The General public is frustrated and angered over SLA's ongoing practice of destroying memorials and Heroes cemeteries, civil sources in Jaffna said.

Thileepan, LTTE's political wing leader for the Jaffna district, soon after the signing of the Indo-Sri Lankan agreement in 1987, fasted unto death in a twelve day campaign after putting forward five demands to the Indian government to meet the aspirations of the Tamil people.

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:

• All Tamils detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) should be released.
• The colonisation by Sinhalese in Tamil areas under the guise of rehabilitation should be stopped.
• All such rehabilitation should be stopped until an interim government is formed.
• The Sri Lankan government should stop opening new Police stations and camps in the North and Eastern provinces
• 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withdraw from schools in Tamil villages and the weapons given by the Sri Lankan government to 'homeguards' should be withdrawn under the supervision of the Indian army.