Self-immolation of Murugathasan Varnakulasingham

Murugathasan Varnakulasingham
Born	(1982-12-02)2 December 1982[1]
Died	13 February 2009(2009-02-13) (aged 26) Geneva, Switzerland
Cause of death	Burns from self-immolation
Known for	Self-immolation for the Sri Lankan Tamil cause

Murugathasan Varnakulasingham (2 December 1982 – 13 February 2009) was a Sri Lankan Tamil, one of seven who immolated themselves to protest the treatment of Tamil people by the government of Sri Lanka.^[2]

Varnakulasingham was a computing graduate and part-time Sainsbury's shelf-stacker.^[2] He went to Geneva from his house on Grange Avenue, Belmont, Harrow, to protest the Sri Lankan government war against the Tamils. On 13 February 2009, after days of protesting, Varnakulasingham poured petrol over his body and killed himself at the gate of United Nations headquarters in Geneva. He was 26.^[3][4][5][6]

He wrote a letter explaining his choice, writing that

We Tamils, displaced and all over the world, loudly raised our problems and asked for help before [the] international community in your own language for three decades. But nothing happened ... So I decided to sacrifice my life ... The flames over my body will be a torch to guide you through the liberation path.^[2][7]

His family stated that they were proud of their son's action and his death was commemorated by British Tamils.^{[8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17]}

See also

• K. Muthukumar

References

1. "British Tamil youth honour Murugathasan". Tamil Guardian. 22 November 2012. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
2. "Tamil killed himself 'to guide others to liberation'". Sam Jones. The Guardian. 19 February 2009. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
3. "Sri Lankan Tamil from Harrow who burned to death in protest to be buried". Tristan Kirk. Harrow Times. 5 March 2009. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
4. "Anniversary of Murugathasan's death marked in Geneva". Tamilnet. 19 February 2010. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
5. "Harrow Tamil funeral attended by thousands". My London. 9 March 2009. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
6. "A fight to the death in Westminster". Jerome Taylor. The Independent. 22 October 2011. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
7. ""Flames on my body will guide to liberation"". Tamilnet. 20 February 2009. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
8. "Tamil family proud of son's 'sacrifice'". Julian Joyce and Dan Bell. BBC News. 7 March 2009. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
9. "Murugathasan memorial stone unveiled". Tamil Guardian. 24 November 2012. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
10. "Eelam Tamil Muruguthasan Immolates Himself before UN Headquarters in Geneva – so that Tamil Eelam may Live". Tamil Nation. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
11. "British Tamils pay tribute to 'hero' Varnakulasingham". Tamilnet. 8 March 2009. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
12. "The Deaths Can't Be Erased': Tamils and the Fight for Justice in Sri Lanka". Jeevan Ravindran. World Politics Review. 2 March 2021. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
13. "British Tamils commemorate Maaveerar Naal". Tamil Guardian. 28 November 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
14. Camilla Orjuela (July 2020). "Passing on the torch of memory: Transitional justice and the transfer of diaspora identity across generations". International Journal of Transitional Justice. pp. 360–380. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
15. "முத்துக்குமாரின் நினைவுநாளில் ஈகைப்பேரொளிகளை நினைவேந்துவோம்". Pathivu. 29 January 2021. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
16. "Remembering Murugathasan 14 years on". Tamil Guardian. 12 February 2023. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
17. "Murugathasan's sacrifice remembered 13 years on". Tamil Guardian. 13 February 2022. Retrieved 12 February 2023.

External links

• Eezham Tamil immolates himself to death in front of UN office in Geneva