Ananthi Sasitharan
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Ananthi Sasitharan | |
|---|---|
அனந்தி சசிதரன் | |
| Minister of Women's Affairs, Rehabilitation, Social Service, Co-operatives, Food Supply and Distribution, Industries and Enterprise Promotion and Trade and Commerce, Northern Province[a] | |
| Assumed office 29 June 2017 | |
| Preceded by | C. V. Vigneswaran |
| Member of the Northern Provincial Council for Jaffna District | |
| Assumed office 11 October 2013 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 10 September 1971 |
| Party | Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi |
| Other political affiliations | Tamil National Alliance |
| Occupation | Management Assistant |
| Ethnicity | Sri Lankan Tamil |
Ananthi Sasitharan (Tamil: அனந்தி சசிதரன், romanized: Aṉanti Cacitaraṉ; born 10 September 1971 ) is a Sri Lankan Tamil activist, politician and provincial minister. She is the wife of Velayutham Sasitharan (alias Elilan), the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam's political head for Trincomalee.[1][2]
Ananthi was born on 10 September 1971.[3][4] Her parents were from Kankesanthurai and Chulipuram in northern Ceylon.[3][4] Ananthi's sister Vasanthi was a member of the Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front and was killed by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 1989.[3][4] Her younger brother went missing whilst fighting for the LTTE.[3][4]
Ananthi was educated at Victoria College, Chulipuram.[3][4] Whilst at school she met Velayutham Sasitharan (alias Elilan) who was active in the political wing of the rebel LTTE.[3][4] Ananthi fell in love with Elilan but Elilan told her to concentrate on her studies.[3][4]
Life with the LTTE
After school Ananthi studied accountancy but gave this up in 1992 after getting a job at the Jaffna District Secretariat.[3][4] She worked for Valikamam West Divisional Secretariat between 1993 and 1996.[3][4] After the Sri Lankan military re-captured the Valikamam region in 1996 Elilan and the LTTE re-located to the Vanni.[4] Ananthi followed them and worked as a clerk for the Mullaitivu District Secretariat between 1997 and 2003.[3][4] She worked as a management assistant at Kilinochchi District Secretariat from 2003 to 2013.[3]
Ananthi and Elilan were eventually married, on 6 June 1998 at Mulliyawalai.[3][4] Elilan rose up the ranks with the LTTE and was appointed political head for Vavuniya District.[3] After the 2002 Norwegian mediated peace he was appointed political head for Trincomalee District.[3] After the Sri Lankan military re-captured the Eastern Province Elilan re-located to the Vanni and worked at the Kilinochchi District Secretariat alongside his wife.[3]
The Sasitharan family were amongst 300,000+ people from the Vanni who fled as the Sri Lankan military advanced in late 2008/early 2009.[3] According to Ananthi the family, along with senior LTTE leaders, surrendered to the Sri Lankan military on 18 May 2009 at Vattavaagal.[3][5] Elilan disappeared after surrendering to the Sri Lankan military.[6][5]
Ananthi and her three daughters ended up in the IDP camps before she resumed her work as a Management Assistant in the Samurdhi Department of the Kilinochchi District Secretariat.[3] Her children were sent to live with her family in Chulipuram.[3]