Anton Balasingham facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Voice of the Nation
Anton Balasingham
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| அன்ரன் பாலசிங்கம் | |
Balasingham in June 2006
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| Born |
A. B. Stanislaus
4 March 1938 |
| Died | 14 December 2006 (aged 68) London, United Kingdom
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| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | South Bank Polytechnic |
| Occupation | Journalist |
| Spouse(s) | Adele Ann Wilby |
Anton Balasingham Stanislaus (Tamil: அன்ரன் பாலசிங்கம் சிடானிசுலாசு; March 4, 1938 – December 14, 2006) was a journalist and a very important person for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). This group was a Tamil group in Sri Lanka that wanted a separate country for Tamil people. Balasingham was their main political thinker and chief negotiator.
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His Early Life and Family
Anton Balasingham was born on March 4, 1938. His father worked with electricity in eastern Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). His mother was a midwife from northern Ceylon. They met while working at a hospital.
Balasingham's parents separated. After his father passed away, he moved with his mother and sister to Karaveddy. His mother continued to work as a midwife. Balasingham went to Sacred Heart College and Nelliady Central College for his education.
He was raised as a Roman Catholic. However, as he grew up, he became interested in reason and questioning things. He also liked political ideas that focused on fairness for everyone. He later married Adele Ann Wilby, who was an Australian nurse.
His Career Journey
Working in Colombo
In the 1960s, Balasingham started working as a sub-editor for the Virakesari newspaper in Colombo. He was in charge of foreign news. This meant he translated news articles from places like Reuters into the Tamil language.
He lived close to the newspaper office and spent a lot of his free time reading. He became very interested in philosophy (the study of knowledge and existence) and psychology (the study of the mind).
Later, Balasingham got a job as a translator at the British High Commission in Colombo. He married Pearl Rasaratnam in 1968. Pearl became very ill, so they decided to move to the United Kingdom for her medical treatment. They left Sri Lanka in 1971.
Moving to London
In London, Balasingham studied at the Institute of Psychotherapy. He also worked and took care of his sick wife, Pearl. She had serious kidney problems. Balasingham himself was diagnosed with diabetes. Pearl sadly passed away in 1976.
While Pearl was ill, Balasingham met Adele Ann Wilby, an Australian nurse. They got married in 1978. Balasingham earned a Master's degree from South Bank Polytechnic. He also started a PhD, but he did not finish it.
In London, Balasingham continued his interest in politics. He got involved with the Anti-Apartheid Movement, which fought against racial segregation in South Africa. He also joined the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) through their representative in London. He wrote and translated many documents for the LTTE.
His Role with the LTTE
Balasingham and his wife, Adele, often traveled to Tamil Nadu, India. There, they met important LTTE leaders, including V. Prabhakaran. Balasingham became very close to Prabhakaran. After a difficult time for Tamils in 1983, Balasingham and Adele moved to Madras (now Chennai) in Tamil Nadu.
Balasingham became the main thinker and spokesperson for the LTTE. He was involved in peace talks, even if he wasn't always at the table. He would guide the LTTE's representatives. When the Indian government asked him to leave India, he went back to London. Later, he was allowed to return.
Balasingham often went with Prabhakaran to important meetings, acting as a translator and political advisor. For example, he was with Prabhakaran when they met the Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1986.
When fighting started between the LTTE and the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) in 1987, Balasingham and Adele had to hide. They moved from house to house to avoid being captured. Eventually, they returned to London.
In 1990, Balasingham came back to Sri Lanka to lead the LTTE's team in peace talks in Colombo. After these talks failed, he and Adele moved to Jaffna, which was then controlled by the LTTE. Besides politics, Balasingham also managed the media in Jaffna. He wrote many articles, sometimes using the name "Brahma Gnani."
Later, when the Sri Lankan military took back the Jaffna peninsula in 1995-1996, the LTTE moved to the Vanni region. Balasingham and Adele also moved there.
Health Challenges and Peace Efforts
Balasingham's health started to get worse because of kidney problems. The LTTE asked the Sri Lankan government for permission for him to travel abroad for medical treatment. The LTTE even released some prisoners to show goodwill.
However, the government made many demands in return for permission. Balasingham refused these demands, saying he would rather die with dignity. The LTTE found another way to send him abroad. In 1999, he traveled by sea to Thailand. He then went to Singapore and London. He eventually went to Oslo, Norway, where he received a kidney transplant from a young Sri Lankan Tamil donor.
After recovering, Balasingham continued to work for peace. He led discussions with the Norwegian government, which led to a ceasefire (a stop to the fighting) in 2002. He returned to Sri Lanka in March 2002. He was by Prabhakaran's side when the LTTE leader met with different Sri Lankan politicians.
Even though his health was not good, Balasingham led the LTTE's team in peace talks with the Sri Lankan government. These talks were held in different countries like Thailand, Norway, Germany, Japan, and Switzerland.
Sadly, the peace talks did not succeed. Balasingham's health also got worse. He was diagnosed with bile duct cancer, which spread to other parts of his body. He passed away on December 14, 2006, at his home in South London. On that day, the LTTE gave him the title "Thesathin Kural," which means "Voice of the Nation." His funeral was held in London, with another service in the Vanni region.
See Also
- Indian Peace Keeping Force
- Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi
