Name: Ponnuthurai Sivakumaran City: Urumbarai, Jaffna (யாழ்ப்பாணம்) “He chose to consume poison rather than surrender to the Taliban, embracing death with dignity over a life in captivity.” The pioneering hero who sacrificed his life for the freedom of Tamil Eelam, by consuming poison, embracing death with dignity over a life in captivity. He devoted himself wholeheartedly to the Tamil Students’ Association, which was established to oppose the Sri Lankan government’s education standardization policy.
In the early 1970s, he spearheaded two armed operations against the Sinhalese government’s mercenary forces. He was arrested for his actions & spent three years in prison. Upon his release, while attempting to lead another attack, he consumed cyanide, choosing death over capture by the encircling Sinhalese army. His death became a rallying cry, motivating young people to join the armed resistance. Alfred Duraiyappa, who had previously survived an attempt on his life by bombing, was assassinated in 1975 in Tamil Eelam. The shooting and killing of Alfred Duraiyappa by National leader Prabhakaran became a historic event, marking the first time the national leader gained widespread recognition among the Eelam people. The day Siva Kumaran died is commemorated as “Tamil Student Uprising Day.”