| Revision as of 16:26, 26 December 2006 editIwazaki (talk | contribs)1,814 edits Okay..then pls prove why Asia Tribune is a unreliable source ?? And pls be noted that ,this not your personal BLOG !← Previous edit | Revision as of 16:36, 26 December 2006 edit undoRajsingam (talk | contribs)1,022 edits I have explained in the Talk pageNext edit → | ||
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| ==Death and funeral== | ==Death and funeral== | ||
| He died due to terminal cancer on December 14, 2006 |
He died due to terminal cancer on December 14, 2006 | ||
| ] | ] | ||
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| His ] was placed at the front of the Palace’s Great Hall and after a brief initial ceremony participants from UK and overseas placed flower petals on the body which was cremated shortly afterwards. | His ] was placed at the front of the Palace’s Great Hall and after a brief initial ceremony participants from UK and overseas placed flower petals on the body which was cremated shortly afterwards. | ||
| Posters condemning the funeral extravaganza for Anton Balasingham were seen pasted all over ]. The posters written in ] were critical of the renting of the Palace's Great Hall at the cost of 8 millions of ]n ]s by the ] for the final funeral rites, while they cited that people in the ] and ] of ] were facing possible death due to starvation<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.asiantribune.com/index.php?q=node/3753 |title=Posters condemn funeral show for Anton Balasingham |accessdate=2006-12-21 |format= |work=Asian Tribune }}</ref>. | |||
| ==Reactions== | ==Reactions== | ||
Revision as of 16:36, 26 December 2006
| Anton Balasingham | |
|---|---|
| Occupation(s) | chief political strategist, chief negotiator |
| Spouse | Adele Ann Wilby |
Anton Stanislaus Balasingham (March 4 1938-December 14 2006) was the chief political strategist and chief negotiator of the separatist militant group Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. He was a British citizen of minority Tamil origin from Sri Lanka.
Biography
He was born in Jaffna on the 4th of March in the minority Sri Lankan Tamil dominated Northern Province of Sri Lanka. His father was a Hindu and mother a Roman Catholic. His father also hailed from Eastern province where as his mother was a native Jaffna Tamil. Although brought up a Christian, he became an atheist in his adult life.
Career
After his graduation from school in Jaffna, he worked as a journalist in a Colombo newspaper and as a translator at the British High Commission in Colombo. Balasingham was initially married to a Sri Lankan Tamil. After she died due to the complications of chronic renal failure, he married Adele Ann Wilby in London, UK, in 1978. Adele, an Australian citizen and a nurse by professional training, became a prominent member of the women’s wing of the LTTE.
In the past, Adele herself has been involved in the peace talks, as the secretary of the LTTE delegation. In April 2002, Anton Balasingaham appeared alongside LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran in a rare press conference in the LTTE held town of Kilinochchi in Sri Lanka.
From the Thimphu talks in 1985 to the first round of the Geneva talks held on February 22-23, 2006 Balasingham was the head of the LTTE delegation in all the peace negotiations with the government of Sri Lanka. But he could not participate in an October round because of ill health and few months after, In November 2006, Balasingham was diagnosed with cancer. He was suffered from diabetes, Motor Neurone Disease, a degenerative disease of the nervous system, and possibly medicine-induced bile duct cancer..
Tamil Tigers
Balasingham attempted to transform the militant group's militaristic image into a political one. He wrote speeches and statements for the shadowy guerrilla leader and led an international information campaign on behalf of the militant.
Death and funeral
He died due to terminal cancer on December 14, 2006
Expatriate Tamils paid their last respect to Anton Balasingham, the LTTE’s theoretician and chief negotiator at Alexandra Palace in north London.
His casket was placed at the front of the Palace’s Great Hall and after a brief initial ceremony participants from UK and overseas placed flower petals on the body which was cremated shortly afterwards.
Reactions
Government of Sri Lanka
The Ministry of Defence of Sri Lanka commented "His life long achievement is considered to be his ability to manipulate peace negotiations and postpone them indefinitely under various ruses until his movement could raise enough funds from the Tamil Diaspora and rearm the Tamil Tiger cadres strong enough to face the Sri Lanka army." .
State Government of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Karunanidhi who in his controversial condolence message had stated "I am unable to bear the sorrow over the death of my friend Mr Anton Balasingham, who I have known for many years."
He was criticised by Dr. Subramanian Swamy a prominent Indian politician who is a staunch critic of the LTTE stating "Balasingham was a terrorist who at least once has publicly and arrogantly relished the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi. In 1995 he had warned the then President of Sri Lanka, Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunga that she would face the same fate as Rajiv Gandhi if she confronted the LTTE." .
International Media
Priyath Liyanage the Editor of BBC Sinhala service wrote that Balasingham's death is a loss to both sides of the Sri Lankan civil war. He credited Balasingam as the only moderating force within an otherwise belligerent rebel group and the only man within the group that could criticize and influence the leader Velupillai Prabhakaran. He added that Balasingam was known for his relentless attempts to bring the Tigers to the international negotiating arena. It was mainly due to his perseverance that the Tigers acquired a reputation as a progressive organization among certain liberals in the west.
He also credited Balasingam with bringing the attention of the world to a forgotten war in this small island nation. Although Balasingham was plagued with physical ailments he valiantly attended all the peace talks. According to Liyanage, Balasingam’s death will be a blow not only to the Tamil Tigers but also to many in the south of the country as he provided a thread of hope for a peaceful resolution to the seemingly intractable and escalating conflict of Sri Lanka.
See also
- Black July
- Human Rights in Sri Lanka
- LTTE
- Sri Lankan civil war
- State terrorism in Sri Lanka
- Terrorist attacks attributed to the LTTE
References
- "Anton Balasingham afflicted by rare cancer". TamilNet. Retrieved 2006-11-26.
- "Ceasefire Talks". Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process. Retrieved 2006-11-26.
- "Anton Balasingham – will he or will he not lead LTTE delegation to Geneva talks?". Asiantribune. Retrieved 2006-11-26.
External links
- Anton Balasingham
- Anton Balasingham's Apology to India
- BBC report on his death
- Obituaries TIMES ONLINE
- LTTE leader salutes 'Voice of the Nation'
- Top Tamil Tiger negotiator dies of cancer, rebels say, The Star, December 15, 2006.
- Anton Balasingham: The Early Years of Life
- Google Images: Anton Balasingham
- Tamilnet: Thousands throng Balasingham’s funeral held in London