KILINOCHCHI, Sri Lanka — March 30, 2026 —
M. A. Sumanthiran, general secretary of the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK), said on Sunday that former combatants who had sacrificed their lives, education, and families for a political cause were the most qualified to join the party.
Speaking at a meeting with former LTTE combatants in Kilinochchi, Mr. Sumanthiran said those who had “considered their lives insignificant” and were prepared to give their “life, body and soul” for a goal possessed the highest qualification for membership.
“No one else can have a greater qualification than them,” he said.
The event was attended by senior party figures, including ITAK leader C. V. K. Sivagnanam and Sayanthan.
Framing his remarks within the party’s historical ideology, Mr. Sumanthiran said ITAK, founded in 1949, was built on the premise that Tamil-speaking people in Sri Lanka constitute a distinct nation entitled to self-determination under international law.
He drew parallels with independence movements elsewhere, noting that leaders such as Muhammad Ali Jinnah of Pakistan and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman are remembered as “Fathers of the Nation” for articulating a shared national identity.
He then extended that comparison to S. J. V. Chelvanayakam, explaining that he came to be known as “Thanthai” (Father) for advancing the idea that Tamil-speaking people in Sri Lanka are a distinct nation with a right to self-determination.
Mr. Sumanthiran also referred to recent discussions in New Delhi, where he and colleagues attended meetings at the invitation of the Bar Association of India. He cited concerns about Sri Lankan Tamil refugees who have lived in India for decades.
While reiterating that his party preferred the return of displaced Tamils to Sri Lanka, he said those unwilling to return — due to age, family circumstances, or long-term settlement — should be granted Indian citizenship to avoid statelessness.
“International law does not permit people to remain stateless,” he said.
He also recalled that the ITAK emerged in opposition to the 1949 citizenship legislation that rendered large numbers of Malayaga Tamils stateless, and said it was the first political movement to assert that Tamils constitute a nation with the right to self-determination.
Referring to the Vaddukoddai Resolution, he said the party had formally articulated its demand for self-rule decades ago.
“Forms of struggle may change, but the goal remains the same,” he said, adding that former combatants had every right to join the party in pursuit of that goal.
Still, sources within ITAK offered a more grounded view. “Yes, the invitation is there,” one told the Jaffna Monitor. “But if you’re not a ‘yes man’ to Sumanthiran, how exactly do you get a ticket?”
