The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam have announced that the leader of their political wing, S. P. Thamilselvan, was killed with five colleagues in a Nov. 2 air strike by Sri Lankan forces. The Tigers declared three days of mourning in remembrance of Thamilselvan.
Thamilselvan was the Tiger’s public face and became the national liberation group’s chief negotiator following the death of Anton Balasingham in December 2006. His assassination comes during a period of intensified fighting between the Tigers and the Sri Lankan military.
Thamilselvan’s replacement, P. Nadesan, has criticized Norway, which has mediated peace talks in Sri Lanka, for remaining silent on the killing of the Tigers’ key negotiator.
The Tamil Tigers have been engaged in a national liberation struggle in the former British colony since 1975.
