Who was Thileepan Anna?

After witnessing deaths of Tamil youth by Sinhala policemen at the World Tamil Research Conference held in Yalpanam (Jaffna) in 1974, Thileepan Anna [Anna meaning Older Brother, said as a way to show respect] understood there was a need to fight for freedom.

In 1987, the 23 year old went on a hunger strike to call on the Indian government to honour the promises it had made to help the Tamils following the Indo-Lanka accord.

The Indo-Lanka Accord was signed by India and Sri Lanka to help end the genocide against Tamils. It aimed to give Tamils more political power, ensure language equality and bring in Indian Peacekeeping forces. It however failed to bring peace and keep Tamils safe.

Here were his 5 demands:

-All Tamils detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act should be released.
-The colonisation of 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-Eastern province.
-The SL Army and police should withdraw from schools in Tamil villages and the weapons given by the Sri Lankan government to “home guards” should be withdrawn under the supervision of the Indian army.

The Indian High Commissioner did not meet with Thileepan Anna nor did he address his 5 demands while in Sri Lanka.

Thileepan Anna passed after 12 days.

As per his wish, Thileepan Anna’s body was donated to the medical faculty of Jaffna University.

Many medical centres were built in his honour, and today the Tamil diaspora hold food drives in his honour.

Why does Thileepan Anna’s story matter?

Despite his hunger strike taking place 3 decades ago, today many Tamils still are asking that his demands be met.
Ancestral Tamil lands are still being colonised and stolen by Sinhalese Governement
There is still heavy policing and militarization in Tamil areas,
Tamils are stopped from mourning lost loved ones, among much more.

History books have literally been rewritten and the erasure of Tamil roots on the island still remains active.

In fact, the on-going oppression of Tamils is not limited to Sri Lanka...

Resources to learn more:
Tyouk.org
Tamil Guardian
Telibrary.com
http://www.tamilyouth.ca/tamilmuseum/...
Rise and Fall of the Tamil Nation by V. Navaratnam

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