The Hon. Gnanamuththu Srineshan

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, in today’s condolence debate, we are remembering leaders who have left this Parliament. Among them, whom we fondly called “Annai,” is the late Mavai. Somasundaram Senathirajah.

¶ 02 Born in 1942, he dedicated virtually his entire life to the liberation and rights of the Tamil people. Though he pursued higher studies, including in law, his academic path was interrupted by his ardent commitment to Tamil national liberation. From his school days, he devoted himself to a non-violent, democratic, Gandhian path for the emancipation of his people.

¶ 03 He joined the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) at the age of 19—the party founded by S. J. V. Chelvanayakam to pursue a pure and principled path to Tamil freedom. He contributed tirelessly to negotiations and advocacy, and engaged with the Tamil diaspora and international actors to articulate the Tamil cause. To Chelvanayakam, he was like a loyal son; to Amirthalingam, Sivasithamparam, Kathiravelupillai, Rajadurai of Kopay, and others, he was a steadfast younger brother. He was also a close contemporary of Batticaloa’s poets and activists such as Kasi Anandan, Nadesanandan, and Vannai Anandan.

¶ 04 When non-violent efforts failed to yield results, armed movements emerged—the LTTE, PLOTE, EPRLF, TELO and others. While he remained rooted in non-violence, he never rejected or antagonized those who had taken up arms, recognizing the justice of their grievances and maintaining bridges across movements. He never deviated from the liberation struggle or principled politics, even under perilous conditions. He traveled to all corners of the North and East, advancing a politics focused on freedom and dignity.

¶ 05 A recent 670-page book by poet Kasi Anandan, which I was able to read, recounts Mavai Annan’s perilous journeys—by sea, through difficult terrain—and the many dangers he faced. He was not a politician of comfort. In his childhood he witnessed the Citizenship Acts of 1942 and 1948 that disenfranchised the Malaiyaha Tamils; the Sinhala Only Act of 1956; the 1958 pogrom; the abrogation of the Banda–Chelva Pact after J. R. Jayewardene’s communal march; the tearing up of the Dudley–Chelva Pact of 1965; and the 1972 Republican Constitution that privileged a Sinhala-Buddhist state. These seared in him the resolve to struggle for Tamil rights.

¶ 06 He served the struggle from the age of 19 until his passing at 82. Even when politics in the islets of Jaffna was described as the “iron fortress” of Douglas Devananda, he went there determined to do politics; he was brutally assaulted, and two aides who accompanied him were killed. He barely survived a serious head injury. Yet he never retired or relented.

¶ 07 He was a unifier—a dove of peace—trusted by youth across organizations such as TELO and EPRLF. Everyone believed that speaking to Mavai Annan would produce understanding and unity, and that he would dispense justice equally. He remained a loyal, dependable leader within ITAK as well.

¶ 08 His death at 82 is a profound loss—not only to his family and the Tamil community, but to Sri Lanka as a whole. I pray that his soul may rest in peace and that his wife Bhavani and children Kalaiamudhan, Ara Amudhan, and Tharaka, as well as all relatives and friends, find solace. May we all be inspired by his example and continue his service.