Pon Sivakumaran
| Pon Sivakumaran | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Native name | பொன் சிவகுமாரன் |
| Born |
P. Sivakumaran 26 September 1950 |
| Died | 5 June 1974 (aged 23) |
| Other names | Urumpirai Sivakumaran |
Ponnuthurai Sivakumaran (Tamil: பொன்னுத்துரை சிவகுமாரன்; 26 September 1950 – 5 June 1974) was a Sri Lankan Tamil rebel and the first Tamil militant to commit suicide by swallowing cyanide.
Sivakumaran was born on 26 September 1950. He was the son of Ponnuthurai, principal of Urumpirai Hindu Tamil Vidyasalai, and Annalakshmi. Sivakumaran's father and mother were both supporters of the Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi and its leader S. J. V. Chelvanayakam which influenced Sivakumaran's own political beliefs. Sivakumaran had two brothers and a sister. He was educated at Urumpirai Hindu College and Jaffna Hindu College. After school he joined Kokkuvil Junior Technical College but dropped out after two months.
Sivakumaran became a supporter of an armed struggle. In 1969 a small group of militant Tamil youths from Valvettithurai formed an underground group. The group was known as the Thangadurai Group and was led by Thangadurai and Kuttimani. The group would later be known as the Tamil Liberation Organisation (TLO). Other members of the group included V. Prabhakaran, Sri Sabaratnam, Sivakumaran, Periya Sothi, Chinna Sothi, Chetti and Kannadi. In 1971 Sivakumaran joined the Tamil Student Federation (Tamil Manavar Peravai) (TSF), which had been formed in 1970 by Ponnuthurai Sathiyaseelan. Sivakumaran later left the TSF and formed his own group which was known as the Sivakumaran Group.
Whilst speaking at an event at Colombo Hindu College in July 1970 Deputy Minister of Cultural Affairs Somaweera Chandrasiri, a Sinhalese extremist, claimed that Sinhalese and Tamil cultures were linked. Sivakumaran was angered by this. In September 1970 Sivakumaran tried to assassinate Chandrasiri as he visited Urumpirai Hindu College. Sivakumaran placed a time bomb under Chandrasiri's car and quietly slipped away but when the bomb exploded no one was in the car. No one suspected Sivakumaran.
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