Hundreds of people gathered in Nallur, Jaffna, on September 26 to take part in remembrance events marking the 39th anniversary of Thileepan’s death.

Thileepan began a hunger strike without food or water in Nallur on September 15, 1987, and died on September 26. To mark his 39th remembrance, a continuous series of commemorative events was held in Nallur from September 15 this year.

During the final-day event on September 26, floral tributes were paid at the memorial site in Nallur and at the bronze statue of Thileepan installed there. The statue had been unveiled on September 15, when this year’s remembrance events began.

The main remembrance ceremony was reported to have taken place at around 10:48 a.m. The time was observed to mark the moment of Thileepan’s death in 1987.

Students and members of the public also travelled from the University of Jaffna to the Nallur memorial site with a vehicle carrying Thileepan’s portrait. Remembrance observances, floral tributes and other commemorative activities were held there.

Thileepan, whose birth name was Rasaiah Parthipan, served in the political wing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. Following the Indo–Sri Lanka Accord, he began his hunger strike after presenting five demands to the Indian government. He died on September 26, 1987, after continuing the protest without food or water.

In addition to Nallur, events remembering Thileepan were held in several parts of the North and East during the remembrance period. The principal commemorative events for this year concluded on September 26.