Indian envoy pays last respects to veteran Sri Lankan Tamil politician Sampanthan

Colombo, Jul 3 (PTI) The High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka Santosh Jha on Wednesday paid his last respects to veteran politician R Sampanthan, who relentlessly pursued a life of peace, justice and dignity for Tamil nationals on the island nation.

Sampanthan, 91, passed away while receiving treatment in a hospital on Sunday. He led the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) from 2004 and became only the second Tamil to become the main opposition leader in the Sinhala-majority country.

Taking to X, the Indian mission here said that High Commissioner Jha "paid his last respects to late R Sampanthan, a distinguished parliamentarian & leader of the TNA. HC extended heartfelt condolences to his family & friends".

Sampathan's "commitment to peace, dignity & ethnic reconciliation for Tamils in Sri Lanka will be warmly remembered," it said, sharing a series of photographs.

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe in a post on X also expressed his deepest condolences on the passing of Sampanthan.

"As a national leader, he worked tirelessly to bridge the divisions in our country. His loss will be mourned across the nation," he said.

Sampanthan was a moderate Tamil who had been leading the political movement to achieve a negotiated political settlement to the Tamil demand for political autonomy.

The Tamils put forward their demand for autonomy since gaining independence from Britain in 1948, which, from the mid-70s, turned into a bloody armed conflict.

He took office as the leader of the opposition in 2015 and was actively involved in the process of drafting a new Constitution until 2019.

A brilliant lawyer, Sampanthan entered Parliament for the first time in 1977 from the eastern port district of Trincomalee. PTI SCY AKJ SCY SCY SCY