V. Anandasangaree | |
|---|---|
| Leader,Tamil United Liberation Front | |
| Assumed office 2002 | |
| Preceded by | M. Sivasithamparam |
| President,Tamil United Liberation Front | |
| Assumed office 2002 | |
| Succeeded by | M. Sivasithamparam |
| Member of theCeylonese Parliament forKilinochchi | |
| In office 1970–1983 | |
| Preceded by | K. P. Ratnam,ITAK |
| Member of Parliament forJaffna District | |
| In office 2000–2004 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Veerasingham Anandasangaree (1933-06-15)15 June 1933 (age 91) Point Pedro,British Ceylon |
| Nationality | Sri Lankan |
| Political party | Tamil United Liberation Front (since 1972) |
| Other political affiliations | Lanka Sama Samaja Party (1955–1966) All Ceylon Tamil Congress (1966–1972) |
| Alma mater | Hartley College Zahira College |
| Profession | Lawyer, teacher |
Veerasingham Anandasangaree (Tamil:வீரசிங்கம் ஆனந்தசங்கரி; born 15 June 1933) is aSri Lankan Tamil politician, formerMember of Parliament and leader of theTamil United Liberation Front. He is commonly known asSangaree.[1] A vocal critic of violence committed by all sides, Sangaree is a supporter offederalism similar to that of India as a solution to Sri Lanka's ethnic conflict.[2][3]
Sangaree was born 15 June 1933 inPoint Pedro to Sangarapillai Veerasingham, the principal of Sri Somaskanda CollegePuttur, and Ratnamma fromThumpalai near Point Pedro. He grew up inAchchuveli. He had six brothers and two sisters. He was educated at Sri Somaskanda College Puttur, Christian College Atchuvely Achchuveli,Hartley College andZahira College, Colombo. Between 1953 and 1959 he taught atJaffna Hindu College, Poonakari M.M.V., Christ the King CollegeJa-Ela and Sri Kotalawelapura G.T.M.S.Ratmalana. He later studied atColombo Law College. After graduation in 1967 he joined the legal profession, becoming anattorney at law.
Sangaree's elder brother Rajasangaree, chairman of Chavakachcheri Citizens’ Committee, was murdered by the pro-IndianEelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front on 26 October 1987 after Rajasangaree complained about abuses being committed by theIndian Peace Keeping Force. Sangaree's younger brother Ganeshasangaree was murdered by theLiberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam on 10 February 1988 after Ganeshasangaree criticised the Tigers in public. When two of Ganeshasangaree's sons complained about their father's killing they were taken away by the Tigers and never seen again.G. Yogasangari, the son of Sangaree's brother Ganeshasangaree, was an EPRLF Member of Parliament. Yogasangaree, EPRLF leaderK. Pathmanabha and others were assassinated by the Tigers on 19 June 1990 inKodambakkam, India. Sayanuja, the daughter of Sangaree's brother Parathasangaree, was killed in theTavistock Square bus bombing on 7 July 2005.
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Sangaree became interested in politics at an early age and in 1955 joined theLanka Sama Samaja Party, the leading leftist party inCeylon at that time. He was the LSSP's candidate for Kotahena South Ward at the 1959Colombo Municipal Council election against the incumbent mayorV. A. Sugathadasa but failed to get elected. He was persuaded to stand as the LSSP candidate inKilinochchi at theMarch 1960 parliamentary election even though he had no connection to the area. He lost.[4] He stood again at theJuly 1960 and1965 parliamentary elections but was again defeated on each occasion.[5][6]
Theleftist parties of Ceylon, who had in the past argued for parity between theSinhala andTamil languages, abandoned their beliefs in the late 1960s. They allied themselves with thecommunalSri Lanka Freedom Party, who had made Sinhala thesole official language of Ceylon, and opposed the reasonable use of Tamil proposed by theDudley-Chelvanayakam Pact signed by theUnited National PartyPrime MinisterDudley Senanayake. The leftist parties adopted the racist slogan"Dudleyge bade masala vadai" - translation "there is masala vadai in Dudley's belly" (masala vadai is a Tamil delicacy). Sangaree, like many other Tamil leftists, became disillusioned with the leftist parties. Sangaree left the LSSP in 1966.
Sangaree was chairman of Karaichi Village Council between 1965 and 1968. He joined theAll Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC) in May 1966. Karaichi Village Council was promoted town council in 1968. Sangaree was elected to Kilinochchi Town Council in 1968 and became its first chairman. Sangaree became the president of the ACTC's Youth Front in 1970. He stood as the ACTC candidate in Kilinochchi at the1970 parliamentary election. He won the election and enteredParliament.[7]
In 1972 the ACTC,Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi and others formed theTamil United Front (later renamedTamil United Liberation Front). Sangaree was the TULF's candidate for Kilinochchi at the1977 parliamentary election which he won.[8] Sangaree and all other TULF MPs boycotted Parliament from the middle of 1983 for a number of reasons: they were under pressure fromSri Lankan Tamil militants not to stay in Parliament beyond their normal six-year term; the Sixth Amendment to theConstitution of Sri Lanka required them to swear an oath unconditionally renouncing support for aseparate state; and the Black July riots in which up to 3,000 Tamils were murdered bySinhalese mobs. After three months of absence, Sangaree forfeited his seat in Parliament on 22 October 1983.[9] His refusal to take the oath under the Sixth Amendment also barred him from practising as a lawyer.
Sangaree and his family, like many families of leading Tamil politicians, fled toMadras (now Chennai),Tamil Nadu. After the signing of theIndo-Sri Lanka Accord in 1987 Sangaree returned to Sri Lanka. He was one of the TULF's candidates inJaffna District at the1989 parliamentary election but failed to get elected. He was elected senior vice president of the TULF in 1993. He was one of the TULF's candidates inVanni District at the1994 parliamentary election but again failed to get elected.
Sangaree was a TULF candidate forJaffna District at the2000 parliamentary election. He was elected and re-enteredParliament.[10] In 2001 the TULF, ACTC,Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front andTamil Eelam Liberation Organization formed theTamil National Alliance (TNA). Sangaree was one of the TNA's candidates in Jaffna District at the2001 parliamentary election. He was re-elected.[11] Sangaree was elected leader and president of the TULF in June 2002 following the death ofM. Sivasithamparam.[12]
Soon after its formation the TNA began to make a more pro-Tamil Tiger stance, recognising the Tigers as the sole representative of the Sri Lankan Tamils. This caused a split within the TULF. Some members of the TULF, led by its president Sangaree, were opposed to the Tigers. A long legal battle ensued for control of the TULF. Sangaree refused to allow the TNA to use the TULF name during the2004 parliamentary election.[13] This caused the members of TULF who wished to remain with the TNA, led byR. Sampanthan, to resurrect the Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi political party. The TNA contested the 2004 parliamentary election under theITAK symbol. The legal battle over the control of TULF meant that the TULF and Sangaree had to contest the 2004 parliamentary election as anindependent group. The group failed to win any seats.
Sangaree eventually won full control of the TULF but most of its leading members had already left the party and it had lost most of its political support. Sangaree had been a vocal critic of the government sponsored paramilitary groups. Following the dismal showing of the rump TULF in elections, Sangaree abandoned his beliefs and joined forces with two paramilitary groups (People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam andEelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front (Padmanaba wing)) to form the Democratic Tamil National Alliance. This new alliance contested provincial and local elections but with little success though Sangaree was elected toJaffna Municipal Council at the2009 local elections.[14] Sangaree did anothervolte-face in 2011, joining force with the TNA to contest the2011 local elections. Due to old age and irrelevance of his brand of politics, Sangaree's activities had remained dormant since then.
Sangaree was awarded the 2006UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence.[15][16] The UNESCO statement said "As an indefatigable advocate of democracy and peaceful conflict resolution, he has contributed to raising awareness of the Tamil cause in a spirit of dialogue, while seeking to promote non-violent solutions to Sri Lanka and opposing terrorism".[17] Sangaree collected his $100,000 prize at a ceremony held at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France, on 16 November 2006.[18]
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