Thileepan - Revision history

OnitaCrespo4: slightly adjust section for clarity for accuracy

2026-02-12T03:14:10Z

slightly adjust section for clarity for accuracy

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:44, 12 February 2026
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			{{Short description\|Sri Lankan rebel (1963–1987)}}
			{{Tamil name\|Rasaiah\|Parthipan}}
	{{Use dmy dates\|date=July 2020}}		{{Use dmy dates\|date=July 2020}}
	~~{{Patronymic name\|Parthipan\|Rasaiah\|his}}~~
	{{Infobox person		{{Infobox person
	\| honorific_prefix = ''Thiyaka Theepam'' <ref>{{cite web \| url=https://www.tamilguardian.com/content/light-sacrifice-remembering-thileepan-31-years \| title=The light of sacrifice: Remembering Thileepan 31 years on \| Tamil Guardian }}</ref> <br> Lt. Colonel<!-- See LTTE rank structure.<ref>{{cite book \|last1=Rodrigo \|first1=Nisala A. \|title=The Rise of the Liberation Tigers: Conventional Operations in the Sri Lankan Civil War, 1990-2001 \|date=2019 \|publisher=[[School of Advanced Military Studies]] \|page=22 \|url=https://www.hsdl.org/?view&did=832144 \|access-date=10 October 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite book \|last1=Richards \|first1=Joanne \|title=An Institutional History of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) \|date=October 2014 \|publisher=[[Centre on Conflict, Development and Peacebuilding]] \|location=Geneva, Switzerland \|page=16 \|url=https://repository.graduateinstitute.ch/record/292651/files/CCDP-Working-Paper-10-LTTE-1.pdf}}</ref> -->		\| honorific_prefix = ''Thiyaka Theepam'' <ref>{{cite web \| url=https://www.tamilguardian.com/content/light-sacrifice-remembering-thileepan-31-years \| title=The light of sacrifice: Remembering Thileepan 31 years on \| Tamil Guardian }}</ref> <br> Lt. Colonel<!-- See LTTE rank structure.<ref>{{cite book \|last1=Rodrigo \|first1=Nisala A. \|title=The Rise of the Liberation Tigers: Conventional Operations in the Sri Lankan Civil War, 1990-2001 \|date=2019 \|publisher=[[School of Advanced Military Studies]] \|page=22 \|url=https://www.hsdl.org/?view&did=832144 \|access-date=10 October 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite book \|last1=Richards \|first1=Joanne \|title=An Institutional History of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) \|date=October 2014 \|publisher=[[Centre on Conflict, Development and Peacebuilding]] \|location=Geneva, Switzerland \|page=16 \|url=https://repository.graduateinstitute.ch/record/292651/files/CCDP-Working-Paper-10-LTTE-1.pdf}}</ref> -->
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	\| birth_name = R. Parthipan		\| birth_name = R. Parthipan
	\| birth_date = {{Birth date\|1963\|11\|29\|df=y}}		\| birth_date = {{Birth date\|1963\|11\|29\|df=y}}
	\| birth_place =		\| birth_place = [[Urelu]], [[Jaffna District\|Jaffna]], [[Sri Lanka]]
	\| death_date = {{Death date and age\|1987\|09\|26\|1963\|11\|29\|df=yes}}		\| death_date = {{Death date and age\|1987\|09\|26\|1963\|11\|29\|df=yes}}
	\| death_place = [[Nallur (Jaffna)\|Nallur]], Sri Lanka		\| death_place = [[Nallur (Jaffna)\|Nallur]], [[Jaffna District\|Jaffna]], [[Sri Lanka]]
	~~\| nationality =~~
	\| other_names = Amirthalingam Thileepan		\| other_names = Amirthalingam Thileepan
	\| citizenship =		\| citizenship =
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	\| footnotes =		\| footnotes =
	}}		}}
	'''Rasaiah Parthipan''' ({{~~lang-~~ta\|இராசையா பார்த்திபன்}}; 29 November 1963 – 26 September 1987; commonly known by the nom de guerre '''Thileepan''') was a [[Tamil Eelam]] revolutionary and member of the [[Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam]] (LTTE), a [[Tamil militant groups\|separatist Tamil militant organisation]] in [[Sri Lanka]]. He died while on [[hunger strike]].<ref>{{cite book\|last1=de Silva\|first1=K. M.\|authorlink1=K. M. de Silva\|title=Regional Powers and Small State Security: India and Sri Lanka, 1977-1990\|date=1995\|publisher=[[Woodrow Wilson Center Press]]\|isbn=0-8018-5149-1\|page=[https://archive.org/details/regionalpowerssm00desi/page/258 258]\|url-access=registration\|url=https://archive.org/details/regionalpowerssm00desi/page/258}}</ref><ref>{{cite book\|last1=Cummings\|first1=Joe\|last2=Cannon\|first2=Teresa\|last3=Elliott\|first3=Mark\|last4=Ver Berkmoes\|first4=Ryan\|title=Sri Lanka\|date=2006\|publisher=[[Lonely Planet]]\|page=309\|isbn=9781740599757 \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pq9XaJuzwkQC}}</ref><ref>{{cite news\|last1=Balachandran\|first1=P. K.\|title=Former LTTE Militants To Contest Polls As 'Crusaders For Democracy'\|url=http://www.newindianexpress.com/world/Former-LTTE-Militants-To-Contest-Polls-As-Crusaders-For-Democracy/2015/07/03/article2900486.ece\|work=[[The New Indian Express]]\|date=3 July 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal\|last1=Subramanian\|first1=T. S.\|title=Unravelling the plot\|journal=[[Frontline (magazine)\|Frontline]]\|date=7 February 1998\|volume=15\|issue=3}}</ref><ref>{{cite news\|last1=Furlong\|first1=Ray\|title=amil hunger strike in third week\|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8015199.stm\|work=[[BBC News]]\|date=23 April 2009}}</ref>		'''Rasaiah Parthipan''' ({{langx\|ta\|இராசையா பார்த்திபன்}}; 29 November 1963 – 26 September 1987; commonly known by the nom de guerre '''Thileepan''') was a [[Tamil Eelam]] revolutionary and member of the [[Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam]] (LTTE), a [[Tamil militant groups\|separatist Tamil militant organisation]] in [[Sri Lanka]]. He died while on [[hunger strike]].<ref>{{cite book\|last1=de Silva\|first1=K. M.\|authorlink1=K. M. de Silva\|title=Regional Powers and Small State Security: India and Sri Lanka, 1977-1990\|date=1995\|publisher=[[Woodrow Wilson Center Press]]\|isbn=0-8018-5149-1\|page=[https://archive.org/details/regionalpowerssm00desi/page/258 258]\|url-access=registration\|url=https://archive.org/details/regionalpowerssm00desi/page/258}}</ref><ref>{{cite book\|last1=Cummings\|first1=Joe\|last2=Cannon\|first2=Teresa\|last3=Elliott\|first3=Mark\|last4=Ver Berkmoes\|first4=Ryan\|title=Sri Lanka\|date=2006\|publisher=[[Lonely Planet]]\|page=309\|isbn=9781740599757 \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pq9XaJuzwkQC}}</ref><ref>{{cite news\|last1=Balachandran\|first1=P. K.\|title=Former LTTE Militants To Contest Polls As 'Crusaders For Democracy'\|url=http://www.newindianexpress.com/world/Former-LTTE-Militants-To-Contest-Polls-As-Crusaders-For-Democracy/2015/07/03/article2900486.ece\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150706040250/http://www.newindianexpress.com/world/Former-LTTE-Militants-To-Contest-Polls-As-Crusaders-For-Democracy/2015/07/03/article2900486.ece\|url-status=dead\|archive-date=6 July 2015\|work=[[The New Indian Express]]\|date=3 July 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal\|last1=Subramanian\|first1=T. S.\|title=Unravelling the plot\|journal=[[Frontline (magazine)\|Frontline]]\|date=7 February 1998\|volume=15\|issue=3}}</ref><ref>{{cite news\|last1=Furlong\|first1=Ray\|title=amil hunger strike in third week\|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8015199.stm\|work=[[BBC News]]\|date=23 April 2009}}</ref>

	==Early life and family==		==Early life and family==
	Parthipan was born on 29 November 1963.<ref>{{cite book\|last=Arumugam\|first=S.\|title=Dictionary of Biography of the Tamils of Ceylon\|url=http://noolaham.net/project/19/1810/1810.pdf\|year=1997\|page=230\|authorlink=S. Arumugam}}</ref>{{Efn\|Another source gives Parthipan's date of birth as 27 November 1963<ref name="TN040903">{{cite news\|title=Thileepan's 16th death anniversary to be commemorated\|url=https://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=9873\|work=[[TamilNet]]\|date=4 September 2003}}</ref> whilst another gives his year of birth as 1962.<ref name="Mehta">{{cite book\|last1=Mehta\|first1=Raj K.\|title=Lost Victory: The Rise & Fall of LTTE Supremo, V. Prabhakaran\|date=2010\|publisher=Pentagon Press\|isbn=978-81-8274-443-1\|page=176\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WyRZKMxTPXsC}}</ref>}} He was from [[Urelu]] near [[Urumpirai]] in northern [[Dominion of Ceylon\|Ceylon]].<ref name="CT260415">{{cite news\|last1=Wijerathna\|first1=Arunadale\|last2=Kulasuriya\|first2=Madhawa\|title=Was Thileepan killed to make him a martyr?\|url=http://www.ceylontoday.lk/90-91041-news-detail-was-thileepan-killed-to-make-him-a-martyr.html\|work=[[Ceylon Today]]\|date=26 April 2015}}</ref> His father was a [[Tamil language\|Tamil]] teacher and he had three older brothers.<ref name="CT260415"/> His mother died when Parthipan was three months old.<ref name="CT260415"/> After his father died of diabetes he was brought up by his brothers.<ref name="CT260415"/> He was educated at [[Jaffna Hindu College]].<ref name="TN040903"/><ref name="Mehta"/><ref name="CT260415"/> After school he enrolled in the [[University of Jaffna]].<ref name="TN040903"/><ref name="CT260415"/>		Parthipan was born on 29 November 1963.<ref>{{cite book\|last=Arumugam\|first=S.\|title=Dictionary of Biography of the Tamils of Ceylon\|url=http://noolaham.net/project/19/1810/1810.pdf\|year=1997\|page=230\|authorlink=S. Arumugam}}</ref><ref>{{cite book\|title=திலீபம்\|url=https://noolaham.net/project/733/73207/73207.pdf\|year=1988\|page=124}}</ref>{{Efn\|Another source gives Parthipan's date of birth as 27 November 1963<ref name="TN040903">{{cite news\|title=Thileepan's 16th death anniversary to be commemorated\|url=https://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=9873\|work=[[TamilNet]]\|date=4 September 2003}}</ref> whilst another gives his year of birth as 1962.<ref name="Mehta">{{cite book\|last1=Mehta\|first1=Raj K.\|title=Lost Victory: The Rise & Fall of LTTE Supremo, V. Prabhakaran\|date=2010\|publisher=Pentagon Press\|isbn=978-81-8274-443-1\|page=176\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WyRZKMxTPXsC}}</ref>}} He was from [[Urelu]] near [[Urumpirai]] in northern [[Dominion of Ceylon\|Ceylon]].<ref name="CT260415">{{cite news\|last1=Wijerathna\|first1=Arunadale\|last2=Kulasuriya\|first2=Madhawa\|title=Was Thileepan killed to make him a martyr?\|url=http://www.ceylontoday.lk/90-91041-news-detail-was-thileepan-killed-to-make-him-a-martyr.html\|work=[[Ceylon Today]]\|date=26 April 2015}}</ref> His father was a [[Tamil language\|Tamil]] teacher and he had three older brothers.<ref name="CT260415"/> His mother died when Parthipan was three months old.<ref name="CT260415"/> After his father died of diabetes he was brought up by his brothers.<ref name="CT260415"/> He was educated at [[Jaffna Hindu College]].<ref name="TN040903"/><ref name="Mehta"/><ref name="CT260415"/> After school he enrolled in the [[University of Jaffna]].<ref name="TN040903"/><ref name="CT260415"/>

	==LTTE==		==LTTE==
	Parthipan joined the [[Sri Lankan Tamil militant groups\|militant]] [[Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam]] (LTTE) prior to the 1983 [[Black July]] anti-Tamil riots.<ref name="Mehta"/> He was given the [[nom de guerre]] Thileepan. Injured in the stomach in May 1987 during the [[Vadamarachchi Operation]] (Operation Liberation), he became the LTTE's political leader for [[Jaffna peninsula]].<ref name="Rajasingham">{{cite book\|last=Rajasingham\|first=K. T.\|title=Sri Lanka: The Untold Story\|url=http://www.atimes.com/ind-pak/DD13Df02.html\|archive-url=https://archive.today/20021001211331/http://www.atimes.com/ind-pak/DD13Df02.html\|url-status=unfit\|archive-date=2002-10-01\|chapter=Chapter 35: Accord turns to discord}}</ref><ref name="Bhattacharya">{{cite book\|last1=Bhattacharya\|first1=Samir\|title=Nothing But! - Book Five: All is Fair in Love and War\|date=2014\|publisher=Partridge Publishing\|isbn=978-1-4828-1733-1\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ndIAAwAAQBAJ\|chapter=Chapter 7: Caught in a Tangled Web}}</ref>		Parthipan joined the [[Sri Lankan Tamil militant groups\|militant]] [[Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam]] (LTTE) prior to the 1983 [[Black July]] anti-Tamil riots.<ref name="Mehta"/> He was given the [[nom de guerre]] Thileepan. Injured in the stomach in May 1987 during the [[Vadamarachchi Operation]] (Operation Liberation), he became the LTTE's political leader for [[Jaffna peninsula]].<ref name="Rajasingham">{{cite book\|last=Rajasingham\|first=K. T.\|title=Sri Lanka: The Untold Story\|url=http://www.atimes.com/ind-pak/DD13Df02.html\|archive-url=https://archive.today/20021001211331/http://www.atimes.com/ind-pak/DD13Df02.html\|url-status=unfit\|archive-date=2002-10-01\|chapter=Chapter 35: Accord turns to discord}}</ref><ref name="Bhattacharya">{{cite book\|last1=Bhattacharya\|first1=Samir\|title=Nothing But! - Book Five: All is Fair in Love and War\|date=2014\|publisher=Partridge Publishing\|isbn=978-1-4828-1733-1\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ndIAAwAAQBAJ\|chapter=Chapter 7: Caught in a Tangled Web}}</ref>

	As hostilities increased in northern Sri Lanka, the LTTE handed over a letter to the Indian High Commissioner on 13 September 1987 making five demands: the release of all political prisoners held under the [[Prevention of Terrorism Act (Sri Lanka)\|Prevention of Terrorism Act]] and emergency regulations; cessation of [[Sri Lankan state-sponsored colonisation schemes\|Sinhalese colonisation of Tamil areas]] under the guise of "rehabilitation"; cessation of all "rehabilitation" activities until the establishment of the Interim Administrative Council; cessation of construction of police stations in the [[Northern Province, Sri Lanka\|Northern]] and [[Eastern Province, Sri Lanka\|Eastern]] provinces; and the disarmament of [[Home Guard (Sri Lanka)\|Home Guards]] and withdrawal of the army/police from schools and colleges.<ref name="Sangam">{{cite web\|last1=Sabesan\|title=Message of Sacrifice - 19 Years On...\|url=http://sangam.org/taraki/articles/2006/09-26_Thileepan.php?uid=1970\|publisher=Ilankai Tamil Sangam}}</ref><ref name="LAT270987">{{cite news\|title=Tamil Rebel Dies After 12-Day Fast; Crowds Press Demands\|url=~~http~~://~~articles~~.latimes.com/1987-09-27~~/news/~~mn-~~10642_1_tamil~~-~~rebel~~\|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]\|agency=[[United Press International]]\|date=27 September 1987}}</ref><ref name="Simanti">{{cite book\|last1=Lahiri\|first1=Simanti\|title=Suicide Protest in South Asia: Consumed by Commitment\|date=2014\|publisher=[[Routledge]]\|isbn=978-0-415-82099-8\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kzVEAwAAQBAJ}}</ref>{{Efn\|Sri Lankan sources falsely claim that Thileepan's hunger strike was a protest against the presence of the [[Indian Peace Keeping Force]] in Sri Lanka.<ref>{{cite news\|title=More and more and more\|url=http://www.sundaytimes.lk/040919/columns/political.html\|work=[[The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka)]]\|date=19 September 2004}}</ref><ref>{{cite news\|last1=Weerakkody\|first1= Kalinga\|title=Students compelled to join LTTE hartal\|url=http://www.island.lk/2002/09/28/news05.html\|work=[[The Island (Sri Lanka)]]\|date=28 September 2002}}</ref>}} The demands were aimed at the Indian rather than the Sri Lankan government because the LTTE believed that Indians could force the Sri Lankans to comply.<ref name="Simanti"/> The LTTE gave the Indians 24 hours to respond but no response, or even an acknowledgement, was received.<ref name="Sangam"/>		As hostilities increased in northern Sri Lanka, the LTTE handed over a letter to the Indian High Commissioner on 13 September 1987 making five demands: the release of all political prisoners held under the [[Prevention of Terrorism Act (Sri Lanka)\|Prevention of Terrorism Act]] and emergency regulations; cessation of [[Sri Lankan state-sponsored colonisation schemes\|Sinhalese colonisation of Tamil areas]] under the guise of "rehabilitation"; cessation of all "rehabilitation" activities until the establishment of the Interim Administrative Council; cessation of construction of police stations in the [[Northern Province, Sri Lanka\|Northern]] and [[Eastern Province, Sri Lanka\|Eastern]] provinces; and the disarmament of [[Home Guard (Sri Lanka)\|Home Guards]] and withdrawal of the army/police from schools and colleges.<ref name="Sangam">{{cite web\|last1=Sabesan\|title=Message of Sacrifice - 19 Years On...\|url=http://sangam.org/taraki/articles/2006/09-26_Thileepan.php?uid=1970\|publisher=Ilankai Tamil Sangam}}</ref><ref name="LAT270987">{{cite news\|title=Tamil Rebel Dies After 12-Day Fast; Crowds Press Demands\|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-09-27-mn-10642-story.html\|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]\|agency=[[United Press International]]\|date=27 September 1987}}</ref><ref name="Simanti">{{cite book\|last1=Lahiri\|first1=Simanti\|title=Suicide Protest in South Asia: Consumed by Commitment\|date=2014\|publisher=[[Routledge]]\|isbn=978-0-415-82099-8\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kzVEAwAAQBAJ}}</ref>{{Efn\|Sri Lankan sources falsely claim that Thileepan's hunger strike was a protest against the presence of the [[Indian Peace Keeping Force]] in Sri Lanka.<ref>{{cite news\|title=More and more and more\|url=http://www.sundaytimes.lk/040919/columns/political.html\|work=[[The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka)]]\|date=19 September 2004}}</ref><ref>{{cite news\|last1=Weerakkody\|first1= Kalinga\|title=Students compelled to join LTTE hartal\|url=http://www.island.lk/2002/09/28/news05.html\|work=[[The Island (Sri Lanka)]]\|date=28 September 2002}}</ref>}} The demands were aimed at the Indian rather than the Sri Lankan government because the LTTE believed that Indians could force the Sri Lankans to comply.<ref name="Simanti"/> The LTTE gave the Indians 24 hours to respond but no response, or even an acknowledgement, was received.<ref name="Sangam"/>

	==Hunger strike==		==Hunger strike==
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	==External links==		==External links==
	* {{~~Url~~\|1=eelamview.com/2012/09/25/lt-col-thileepan-2/\|2=Eelam View}}		* {{URL\|1=eelamview.com/2012/09/25/lt-col-thileepan-2/\|2=Eelam View}}
	* {{~~Url~~\|1=tamilnation.co/tamileelam/maveerar/thileepan.htm\|2=Tamil Nation}}		* {{URL\|1=tamilnation.co/tamileelam/maveerar/thileepan.htm\|2=Tamil Nation}}
	* {{URL\|1=http://veeravengaikal.com/maaveerar/index.php/maaveerarlist?view=maaveerarlistdetails&Itemid=103&cid=704\|2=Veeravengaikal.com}}		* {{URL\|1=http://veeravengaikal.com/maaveerar/index.php/maaveerarlist?view=maaveerarlistdetails&Itemid=103&cid=704\|2=Veeravengaikal.com}}

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	[[Category:People from Northern Province, Sri Lanka]]		[[Category:People from Northern Province, Sri Lanka]]
	[[Category:People who died on hunger strike]]		[[Category:People who died on hunger strike]]
			[[Category:Hunger strikers]]
	[[Category:Sri Lankan Tamil rebels]]		[[Category:Sri Lankan Tamil rebels]]
	[[Category:Indian Peace Keeping Force]]		[[Category:Indian Peace Keeping Force]]

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{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Patronymic name|Parthipan|Rasaiah|his}}
{{Infobox person
| honorific_prefix = ''Thiyaka Theepam'' <ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.tamilguardian.com/content/light-sacrifice-remembering-thileepan-31-years | title=The light of sacrifice: Remembering Thileepan 31 years on | Tamil Guardian }}</ref> <br> Lt. Colonel
| name = Thileepan
| honorific_suffix =
| native_name = திலீபன்
| native_name_lang = ta
| image = Thileepan (Rasaiah Parthipan).jpg
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_name = R. Parthipan
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1963|11|29|df=y}}
| birth_place =
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1987|09|26|1963|11|29|df=yes}}
| death_place = [[Nallur (Jaffna)|Nallur]], Sri Lanka
| nationality =
| other_names = Amirthalingam Thileepan
| citizenship =
| education =
| alma_mater =
| occupation =
| years_active = 1983 –1987
| organization = [[Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam]]
| known_for =
| title =
| term =
| predecessor =
| successor =
| party =
| spouse =
| partner =
| children =
| parents =
| relatives =
| signature =
| signature_alt =
| signature_size =
| website =
| footnotes =
}}
'''Rasaiah Parthipan''' ({{lang-ta|இராசையா பார்த்திபன்}}; 29 November 1963 – 26 September 1987; commonly known by the nom de guerre '''Thileepan''') was a [[Tamil Eelam]] revolutionary and member of the [[Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam]] (LTTE), a [[Tamil militant groups|separatist Tamil militant organisation]] in [[Sri Lanka]]. He died while on [[hunger strike]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=de Silva|first1=K. M.|authorlink1=K. M. de Silva|title=Regional Powers and Small State Security: India and Sri Lanka, 1977-1990|date=1995|publisher=[[Woodrow Wilson Center Press]]|isbn=0-8018-5149-1|page=[https://archive.org/details/regionalpowerssm00desi/page/258 258]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/regionalpowerssm00desi/page/258}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Cummings|first1=Joe|last2=Cannon|first2=Teresa|last3=Elliott|first3=Mark|last4=Ver Berkmoes|first4=Ryan|title=Sri Lanka|date=2006|publisher=[[Lonely Planet]]|page=309|isbn=9781740599757 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pq9XaJuzwkQC}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Balachandran|first1=P. K.|title=Former LTTE Militants To Contest Polls As 'Crusaders For Democracy'|url=http://www.newindianexpress.com/world/Former-LTTE-Militants-To-Contest-Polls-As-Crusaders-For-Democracy/2015/07/03/article2900486.ece|work=[[The New Indian Express]]|date=3 July 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Subramanian|first1=T. S.|title=Unravelling the plot|journal=[[Frontline (magazine)|Frontline]]|date=7 February 1998|volume=15|issue=3}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Furlong|first1=Ray|title=amil hunger strike in third week|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8015199.stm|work=[[BBC News]]|date=23 April 2009}}</ref>

==Early life and family==
Parthipan was born on 29 November 1963.<ref>{{cite book|last=Arumugam|first=S.|title=Dictionary of Biography of the Tamils of Ceylon|url=http://noolaham.net/project/19/1810/1810.pdf|year=1997|page=230|authorlink=S. Arumugam}}</ref>{{Efn|Another source gives Parthipan's date of birth as 27 November 1963<ref name="TN040903">{{cite news|title=Thileepan's 16th death anniversary to be commemorated|url=https://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=9873|work=[[TamilNet]]|date=4 September 2003}}</ref> whilst another gives his year of birth as 1962.<ref name="Mehta">{{cite book|last1=Mehta|first1=Raj K.|title=Lost Victory: The Rise & Fall of LTTE Supremo, V. Prabhakaran|date=2010|publisher=Pentagon Press|isbn=978-81-8274-443-1|page=176|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WyRZKMxTPXsC}}</ref>}} He was from [[Urelu]] near [[Urumpirai]] in northern [[Dominion of Ceylon|Ceylon]].<ref name="CT260415">{{cite news|last1=Wijerathna|first1=Arunadale|last2=Kulasuriya|first2=Madhawa|title=Was Thileepan killed to make him a martyr?|url=http://www.ceylontoday.lk/90-91041-news-detail-was-thileepan-killed-to-make-him-a-martyr.html|work=[[Ceylon Today]]|date=26 April 2015}}</ref> His father was a [[Tamil language|Tamil]] teacher and he had three older brothers.<ref name="CT260415"/> His mother died when Parthipan was three months old.<ref name="CT260415"/> After his father died of diabetes he was brought up by his brothers.<ref name="CT260415"/> He was educated at [[Jaffna Hindu College]].<ref name="TN040903"/><ref name="Mehta"/><ref name="CT260415"/> After school he enrolled in the [[University of Jaffna]].<ref name="TN040903"/><ref name="CT260415"/>

==LTTE==
Parthipan joined the [[Sri Lankan Tamil militant groups|militant]] [[Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam]] (LTTE) prior to the 1983 [[Black July]] anti-Tamil riots.<ref name="Mehta"/> He was given the [[nom de guerre]] Thileepan. Injured in the stomach in May 1987 during the [[Vadamarachchi Operation]] (Operation Liberation), he became the LTTE's political leader for [[Jaffna peninsula]].<ref name="Rajasingham">{{cite book|last=Rajasingham|first=K. T.|title=Sri Lanka: The Untold Story|url=http://www.atimes.com/ind-pak/DD13Df02.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20021001211331/http://www.atimes.com/ind-pak/DD13Df02.html|url-status=unfit|archive-date=2002-10-01|chapter=Chapter 35: Accord turns to discord}}</ref><ref name="Bhattacharya">{{cite book|last1=Bhattacharya|first1=Samir|title=Nothing But! - Book Five: All is Fair in Love and War|date=2014|publisher=Partridge Publishing|isbn=978-1-4828-1733-1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ndIAAwAAQBAJ|chapter=Chapter 7: Caught in a Tangled Web}}</ref>

As hostilities increased in northern Sri Lanka, the LTTE handed over a letter to the Indian High Commissioner on 13 September 1987 making five demands: the release of all political prisoners held under the [[Prevention of Terrorism Act (Sri Lanka)|Prevention of Terrorism Act]] and emergency regulations; cessation of [[Sri Lankan state-sponsored colonisation schemes|Sinhalese colonisation of Tamil areas]] under the guise of "rehabilitation"; cessation of all "rehabilitation" activities until the establishment of the Interim Administrative Council; cessation of construction of police stations in the [[Northern Province, Sri Lanka|Northern]] and [[Eastern Province, Sri Lanka|Eastern]] provinces; and the disarmament of [[Home Guard (Sri Lanka)|Home Guards]] and withdrawal of the army/police from schools and colleges.<ref name="Sangam">{{cite web|last1=Sabesan|title=Message of Sacrifice - 19 Years On...|url=http://sangam.org/taraki/articles/2006/09-26_Thileepan.php?uid=1970|publisher=Ilankai Tamil Sangam}}</ref><ref name="LAT270987">{{cite news|title=Tamil Rebel Dies After 12-Day Fast; Crowds Press Demands|url=http://articles.latimes.com/1987-09-27/news/mn-10642_1_tamil-rebel|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|agency=[[United Press International]]|date=27 September 1987}}</ref><ref name="Simanti">{{cite book|last1=Lahiri|first1=Simanti|title=Suicide Protest in South Asia: Consumed by Commitment|date=2014|publisher=[[Routledge]]|isbn=978-0-415-82099-8|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kzVEAwAAQBAJ}}</ref>{{Efn|Sri Lankan sources falsely claim that Thileepan's hunger strike was a protest against the presence of the [[Indian Peace Keeping Force]] in Sri Lanka.<ref>{{cite news|title=More and more and more|url=http://www.sundaytimes.lk/040919/columns/political.html|work=[[The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka)]]|date=19 September 2004}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Weerakkody|first1= Kalinga|title=Students compelled to join LTTE hartal|url=http://www.island.lk/2002/09/28/news05.html|work=[[The Island (Sri Lanka)]]|date=28 September 2002}}</ref>}} The demands were aimed at the Indian rather than the Sri Lankan government because the LTTE believed that Indians could force the Sri Lankans to comply.<ref name="Simanti"/> The LTTE gave the Indians 24 hours to respond but no response, or even an acknowledgement, was received.<ref name="Sangam"/>

==Hunger strike==
Determined to make the Indians meet the demands, Thileepan began a [[hunger strike]] on 15 September 1987 in front of [[Nallur Kandaswamy Temple]].<ref name="LAT270987"/><ref>{{cite book|last1=Krishna|first1=Sankaran|title=Postcolonial Insecurities: India, Sri Lanka, and the Question of Nationhood|date=1999|publisher=[[University of Minnesota Press]]|isbn=0-8166-3329-0|page=179|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_Xq4GnaraYUC}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=LTTE leader pays homage to Thileepan, Sankar|url=http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?artid=27035&catid=13|work=[[TamilNet]]|date=26 September 2008}}</ref> Thileepan gave speeches which were broadcast on Nidharshanam, the LTTE's TV stations.<ref name="Rajasingham"/><ref name="Bhattacharya"/> People from all over Jaffna peninsula came to observe and participate in the hunger strike.<ref name="Rajasingham"/><ref name="Bhattacharya"/> On 22 September 1987 Indian High Commissioner [[Jyotindra Nath Dixit|J. N. Dixit]] arrived at [[Palaly Airport]] and was met by LTTE leader [[Velupillai Prabhakaran|V. Prabhakaran]] who wanted Dixit to go and see Thileepan.<ref name="Bhattacharya"/> Dixit wanted a written guarantee from Prabhakaran that Thileepan would end his hunger strike if Dixit met with him but Prabhakaran couldn't give the guarantee.<ref name="Bhattacharya"/> As his condition deteriorated, Thileepan stopped giving speeches.<ref name="Rajasingham"/> After refusing food or water for 12 days, Thileepan died on 26 September 1987.<ref name="LAT270987"/><ref name="NYT270987">{{cite news|title=A Tamil Separatist Leader Dies in Protest Fast|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/09/27/world/a-tamil-separatist-leader-dies-in-protest-fast.html|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=27 September 1987}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Murari|first1=S.|title=The Prabhakaran Saga: The Rise and Fall of an Eelam Warrior|date=2012|publisher=[[SAGE Publications]]|isbn=978-81-321-0701-9|page=39|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P9-GAwAAQBAJ}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Sri-Skanda-Rajah|first1=Usha S.|title=Thileepan: The Reckoning That Non-Violence Didn't Stand A Chance|url=https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/thileepan-the-reckoning-that-non-violence-didnt-stand-a-chance/|work=Colombo Telegraph|date=26 September 2015}}</ref> After a "martyr's funeral" in [[Jaffna]], Thileepan's body was handed over to the University of Jaffna's [[Faculty of Medicine, University of Jaffna|medical faculty]].<ref name="Rajasingham"/>

==Aftermath==
LTTE leader Prabhakaran accused India of betraying the Tamils after vowing to protect them.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/09/27/world/a-tamil-separatist-leader-dies-in-protest-fast.html | title=A Tamil Separatist Leader Dies in Protest Fast | newspaper=The New York Times | date=27 September 1987 }}</ref> Thileepan's death resulted in large anti-government and anti-Indian protests in northern Sri Lanka.<ref name="LAT270987"/><ref name="NYT270987"/><ref name="Simanti"/>

==Statues==
A statue of Thileepan was built behind Nallur Kandaswamy Temple in 1988.<ref name="TN201107">{{cite news|title=Thileepan statue destroyed in Nalloor, Jaffna|url=https://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=23818|work=[[TamilNet]]|issue=20 November 2007}}</ref><ref name="TN230310">{{cite news|title=Sinhalese soldiers, hooligans destroy Thileepan memorial in Jaffna|url=https://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=31414|work=[[TamilNet]]|date=23 March 2010}}</ref> After the [[Sri Lankan military]] re-captured the [[Valikamam]] region in 1996 they destroyed the statue.<ref name="TN201107"/><ref name="TN230310"/> The statue was re-built in 2003 during the Norwegian mediated Cease Fire Agreement.<ref>{{cite news|title=Lt. Col. Thileepan memorial re-opened in Nallur|url=https://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=9722|work=[[TamilNet]]|issue=25 August 2003}}</ref> After war resumed, Thileepan's photograph and decorative lamps at the statue were damaged by the army on 26 October 2006.<ref name="TN201107"/><ref name="TN230310"/> Thileepan's statue was attacked and destroyed by armed men on 18 November 2007.<ref name="TN201107"/> The remnants of Thileepan's memorial, the pillar, was destroyed by the army on 21 March 2010.<ref name="TN230310"/>

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Url|1=eelamview.com/2012/09/25/lt-col-thileepan-2/|2=Eelam View}}
* {{Url|1=tamilnation.co/tamileelam/maveerar/thileepan.htm|2=Tamil Nation}}
* {{URL|1=http://veeravengaikal.com/maaveerar/index.php/maaveerarlist?view=maaveerarlistdetails&Itemid=103&cid=704|2=Veeravengaikal.com}}

{{Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thileepan}}
[[Category:1963 births]]
[[Category:1987 deaths]]
[[Category:Alumni of Jaffna Hindu College]]
[[Category:Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam members]]
[[Category:People from Northern Province, Sri Lanka]]
[[Category:People who died on hunger strike]]
[[Category:Sri Lankan Tamil rebels]]
[[Category:Indian Peace Keeping Force]]