| Sri Sabaratnam | |
| Native Name: | சிறி சபாரத்தினம் |
| Native Name Lang: | ta |
| Birth Date: | 28 August 1952 |
| Death Place: | Kondavil, Sri Lanka |
| Other Names: | Tall Sri |
| Years Active: | - 1986 |
| Organization: | Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization |
Sundaram Sri Sabaratnam (Tamil: சிறி சபாரத்தினம்; 28 August 1952 - 6 May 1986) was a Sri Lankan Tamil rebel and leader of the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization (TELO), a separatist Tamil militant organisation in Sri Lanka.
Sabaratnam was born on 28 August 1952.[1] Whilst in government custody between 1972 and 1975 his jailer nicknamed him "Tall Sri" to differentiate him from another Sri in custody.[2]
On 25 March 1981 a People's Bank van returning to Jaffna after collecting cash in Vadamarachchi was robbed of Rs. 8 million on the Jaffna-Point Pedro Road in Neervely.[3] [4] N. Thangavelu (alias Thangadurai), S. Yogachandran (alias Kuttimani), Selvadurai Sivasubramaniam (alias Devan), Navaratnarah (Nadarajah) Sivapatham (alias Sivapalan Master) and Vythilingam Nadesathasan (Nadesudasan) were arrested and charged in connection with the robbery.[5] Sabaratnam was charged in absentia.[5] The trial at Colombo High Court commenced on 2 November 1982 and on 24 February 1983 all six defendants were found guilty and sentenced to life in prison.[5] [4] [6]
Sabaratnam became leader of TELO after the killing of Thangathurai and Kuttimani during the Welikada prison massacre in July 1983.[7] [8] [9]
In April 1986 the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) banned TELO and set about killing its leader Sri Sabaratnam.[10] Sabaratnam went on the run, fleeing from TELO's main base in Kalviyankadu to Neervely, then to Kopay and finally to Kondavil.[11] The LTTE found out that he was in Kondavil and they, led by Kittu, cordoned off the area and started a house-to-house search, using loud hailers to warn local residents not to shelter Sabaratnam.[11] On 6 May 1986 the LTTE discovered Sabaratnam in a tobacco field and Kittu shot him in the leg to prevent him escaping.[10] [11] [12] Sabaratnam pleaded with Kittu for his life, but Kittu shot him 28 times using a machine gun.[10] [11] Sabaratnam's bullet ridden body was displayed at Kondavil bus stand before being handed over to his family.[10] [11]
. Sri Lankan Tamil Nationalism: Its Origins and Development in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries. 2000. C. Hurst & Co.. 1-85065-519-7. 127. A. Jeyaratnam Wilson.