Sri Lankan Tamil intellectual murdered in Paris both the fundamentalists and the governments from whom they are deeply alienated.
SABARATNAM SABALINGHAM, a pioneer of the Sri Lankan Tamil liberation
The fundamentalist movement in struggle, strong advocate of Tamil youth movements in the 1970s and renowned Tamil
Egypt cannot be adequately analysed or writer and publisher was brutally shot and killed on 1 May 1994 in his own home in studies if we do not simultaneously consider the role of international politics
He was shot at point-blank range in the presence of his wife and child. In a long persoand, in particular, the policies of Wesnal history of political activism, Sabalingam was one of many Tamil youths arrested for tern powers, which have such a strong
"terrorism" in the 1970s by the Sri Lankan government, when they became engaged in influence on the Middle East.
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
Power game was severely injured. He arrived in France soon after this.
Residing in Paris, Sabalingam was an ardent supporter of the Sri Lankan Tamils'
It is also important to remember the struggle for self-determination as well as a publisher of Sri Lankan literature. Through way in which these movements have the publishing organisation ASSEY, he was responsible for publishing the work of been used as "alternative" or "pressure"
contemporary Sri Lankan Tamil poets V.I.S Jeyapalan, Cheran, Arunthay, Selvam and groups in the power game revolving
Cholaikkli, as well as Tharahi's "Eluding Peace", a series of writings on the Tamil liberaaround the control of oil and the future of the Arab region. Nor should we for-
In addition, he undertook the republication of the history of the Puttalam Muslims get how the present world order is lea-
"Puthiyathor Ulagam") - which details the killings inside Sri Lankan Tamil nationalist ding to the increasing impoverishment militant movements - and Tarzie Vittachi's account of the 1958 race riots in Sri Lanka, of "Third World" countries such as a work currently banned in Sri Lanka. Part of his political activism abroad included
Egypt, since this brings grist to the mill regular translation into French and publication of the periodic releases of the Jaffna of those who declare that a return to
God can solve all problems.
There is very good reason to believe that the "Liberation Tigers" (LTTE) are respon-
Fundamentalism cannot be propersible for this murder. The list of political killings committed by the LTTE is very long. It ly assessed if we forget that many of includes Tamil parliamentary leaders Amirthalingam and Yogeswaran, A.K Annamalai the corrupt retrograde Arab regimes of the NSSP (Sri Lankan section of the Fourth International), A. Vijianathan of the Comhave remained in power with Wesmunist Party and Rajini Thiranagama, co-author of the book "Broken Palmyrah".
tern support, nor if we forget that
Sabalingam, like Rajini Thiranagama, is yet another victim in the long line of Tamil intelmany of the fundamentalist policies lectuals who have been killed for linking human rights and the liberation struggle. In rampant in the State of Israel and both cases, the universal recognition these independent activists achieved gave them propagated by Jewish religiousa level of credibility that posed a threat to their killers.
political movements contribute to
At the time of his killing, Sabalingam was engaged in documenting the liberation the general rise of fundamentalist struggle using hitherto unseen statements and photographs. Ravi. o movements in the region. These policies have sometimes involved a direct collaboration with
Islamic religious movements such as Hamas which operates in the territories occupied by Israel since the 1967 war with Egypt. This collaboration was used at one time to counter the PLO. Now Israel is eliminating
Hamas since the "Peace Treaty" was signed.
Fundamentalism is clearly not only a political-religious phenomenon related to Islam and the Arabs. Today we are witnessing the growth of fundamentalist
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Paris (Sarcelles), France. tion struggle. University Teachers for Human Rights (UTHR).