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The Tamil Youth Organisation (TYO-Canada) and the Canadian Tamils Arts and Culture Association commemorated the 24th anniversary of Lt. Col. Thileepan's death on Sunday.
“Thileepan Anna is a symbol of peace and determination. Never in the history of the world has there been iconic figure like Thileepan Anna. As an aspiring doctor he had given up his dreams so that our people of Tamileelam can live in peace, dignity and honour,” said TYO spokesperson Priyanth Nallaratnam.
The event was marked by cultural performances, dramas, speeches, and poems performed by Canadian university and high school students.
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“Through Thileepan Anna’s sacrifice we were able to show the entire world that the Tamil people are peace loving and that as a community we will never compromise on our political aspirations. It is our job as youth to educate to the mainstream community that Thileepan Anna’s actions surpass even the likes of Mahatma Gandhi” said L Baskanthan, a student from the University of Toronto.
Lt. Col. Thileepan started his hungerstrike on the 15th of September 1987 outside Nalloor Temple.
He died on the 26th of September, after none of his demands were met.
Tens of thousands of Tamils descended on Jaffna for his funeral and a memorial was erected behind Nalloor Temple.
The memorial was destroyed by the Sri Lankan Army in March 2010.
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