The Hon. Sivagnanam Shritharan

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Speaker, in today’s Vote of Condolence, many names are listed. I will record a few notes about Hon. M.K. Eelaventhan, who journeyed long with Tamil national politics and dedicated his time to the liberation of the Tamil people.

¶ 02 Hon. Eelaventhan (Manickavasagar Kanageasapathy Kanakendran), popularly known as “Eelaventhan,” served as an MP from 2004 to 2007. He engaged in Tamil national politics for over seven decades and passed away in Toronto, Canada, on 28 April 2024 at the age of 91.

¶ 03 Born on 14 September 1932 in Jaffna to Manickavasagar Kanagasabapathy, a Railway Station Master, and Mrs. Sivayogam, he hailed from the Kozhumpuththurai–Nallur area. He studied at St. John’s College, Jaffna and Wesley College, Colombo. In 1962, he married Arulambigai, daughter of the late Kailasapillai of Mandaitivu, and had two daughters, Yazhini and Ezhilini. Proficient in Tamil and English, he joined the Central Bank as a translator, later heading its Tamil Translation Division before retiring in 1980.

¶ 04 Drawn to Tamil national politics at 15, he joined ITAK in 1952, became a firm Tamil nationalist, and after the “Sinhala Only” law, engaged intensely in political activism. He wrote under the pen name “Eelaventhan” in the party newspaper “Suthanthiran” and addressed meetings under that name. He became a prominent speaker and intellectual, well-versed in citing sources and inspiring audiences.

¶ 05 In April 1976, a month before the TULF’s Vaddukoddai Resolution, he authored a booklet titled “Let us save Tamil land; let us regain the motherland,” articulating its essence. He fully supported the 14 May 1976 declaration. He campaigned passionately for the TULF in the 1977 General Election across the North and East, notably in Batticaloa with poet Kasi Anandan.

¶ 06 In 2004, when the LTTE nominated TNA candidates, he was recommended for the National List and thus appointed MP alongside the directly elected Members. Later, in 2010, he also associated with the Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam.

¶ 07 In Parliament, he consistently documented why Tamil Eelam was necessary and how Sinhala leaderships historically subjugated Tamils, and argued for a separate Tamil State encompassing the North and East to prevent Sinhalization. In 1965, when ITAK joined the Dudley Senanayake Government, he was among the dissatisfied youth who formed the “Tamil Thaai Mandram,” and in 1968, under V. Navaratnam, formed the Tamil Self-Rule Party advocating a separate Tamil State; he wrote regularly in its paper “Viduthalai.”

¶ 08 He sought political asylum in Tamil Nadu in 1983, was arrested in 1997 and deported to Sri Lanka in 2000. In 2007, during a long visit to Canada, he lost his seat for being absent without leave; the seat was later filled by Mr. Imam, a Muslim engaged in Tamil national politics. His passing is a huge loss—a living encyclopedia to Tamils. He would begin speeches with “May God and Tamil bless me,” and “Eelam will win; time will tell.” He will always remain a beloved leader in Tamil hearts. I extend my deepest condolences to his family and the families of all former MPs remembered today.