A controversy in Jaffna due to a bronze statue of former regional LTTE leader 'Thileepan'

This week, a statue erected in memory of a former regional leader of the LTTE organization, who was assassinated in Jaffna, has generated significant attention and discussion in the Northern Province.

Known by the pseudonym 'Thileepan', Rasiah Parthipan was a former leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the Jaffna region. He died in 1987 after a twelve-day fatal hunger strike, demanding the rights of the Tamil people and that India fulfill its promises.

Using this partially damaged monument in Jaffna as a focal point, Tamil nationalist political parties compete annually to gain political advantage. This week, for Thileepan's 39th commemoration, an unidentified group installed a bronze statue near the monument.

Last Friday, the police intervened, stating that prior permission had not been obtained to use loudspeakers at the commemoration site, and seized the sound systems and other equipment. Due to administrative obstacles arising from the incident occurring on a Friday, all attempts by the organizers to obtain the necessary permission were thwarted.