Sri Lankan Tamil intellectual murdered in Paris SABARATNAM SABALINGHAM, a pioneer of the Sri Lankan Tamil liberation struggle, strong advocate of Tamil youth movements in the 1970s and renowned Tamil writer and publisher was brutally shot and killed on 1 May 1994 in his own home in Paris (Sarcelles), France. He was shot at point-blank range in the presence of his wife and child. In a long personal history of political activism, Sabalingam was one of many Tamil youths arrested for "terrorism" in the 1970s by the Sri Lankan government, when they became engaged in the liberation struggle. He was placed under arrest on the charges of bombing a bridge and kept in prison from 1973 to 1975. In one of his attempts to escape from prison he was severely injured. He arrived in France soon after this. Residing in Paris, Sabalingam was an ardent supporter of the Sri Lankan Tamils' struggle for self-determination as well as a publisher of Sri Lankan literature. Through the publishing organisation ASSEY, he was responsible for publishing the work of contemporary Sri Lankan Tamil poets V.I.S Jeyapalan, Cheran, Arunthay, Selvam and Cholaikkli, as well as Tharahi's "Eluding Peace", a series of writings on the Tamil liberation struggle.
In addition, he undertook the republication of the history of the Puttalam Muslims
(*Puthiyathor Ulagam") - which details the killings inside Sri Lankan Tamil nationalist militant movements - and Tarzie Vittachi's account of the 1958 race riots in Sri Lanka, a work currently banned in Sri Lanka. Part of his political activism abroad included regular translation into French and publication of the periodic releases of the Jaffna
University Teachers for Human Rights (UTHR).
There is very good reason to believe that the "Liberation Tigers" (LTTE) are responsible for this murder. The list of political killings committed by the LTTE is very long. It includes Tamil parliamentary leaders Amirthalingam and Yogeswaran, A.K Annamalai of the NSSP (Sri Lankan section of the Fourth International), A. Vijianathan of the Communist Party and Rajini Thiranagama, co-author of the book "Broken Palmyrah". Sabalingam, like Rajini Thiranagama, is yet another victim in the long line of Tamil intelectuals who have been killed for linking human rights and the liberation struggle. In oth cases, the universal recognition these independent activists achieved gave them level of credibility that posed a threat to their killers. the time of his killing, Sabalingam was engaged in documenting the liberation uggle using hitherto unseen statements and photographs. Ravi. o
International Viewpoint #257 June 1994 31
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