By Manekshaw Courtesy Ceylon Today

Adele Anne, widow of the late LTTE theoretician Anton Balasingham, has lambasted a pro-LTTE expatriate Tamil organization for claiming that it has the urn containing the ashes of the late theoretician and making arrangements to build a monument with it in memory of him in London.

Anton Balasingham, following the death of his first wife, married Australian born Adele Anne in London in 1978. The couple remained inseparable and their life had been extremely ‘adventurous’ for three decades since they became the ‘guardian angels’ of the LTTE in 1983.

Adele Balasingham in her autobiography, which she had written when her husband was alive, had mentioned on the risks they had taken in India as well as in Sri Lanka for being part and parcel of the LTTE for three decades.
Anton Balasingham was more a ‘Godfather’ to LTTE Leader V. Prabhakaran and it was on the insistence of Balasingham the LTTE Leader even agreed to marry, putting aside his firm stance to remain a bachelor until his ultimate goal ‘Eelam’ is achieved.
However, there were instances Anton Balasingham was uncomfortable when certain decisions were taken by Prabhakaran on his own, on the advice of his top aides such as the outfit’s intelligence chief Pottu Amman.
A pro-LTTE expatriate organization in London named Tamils Heritage Centre announced a couple of days ago that it has the urn containing the ashes of the LTTE theoretician, and to mark the 10th death anniversary of Anton Balasingham they were making arrangements to erect a monument in memory of him, placing the urn in it.

Hearing the announcement made by the London organization, Adele Balasingham, who is currently domiciled in Australia with her relatives had released a statement, immediately refuting the false claim with regard to her husband’s ashes.
Adele in her statement had mentioned that her late husband’s wish was to immerse his ashes in nature and he had even told her where his ashes should be immersed and according to his wish she had put them under giant trees, rivers and on flower beds.
Adele, rejecting completely the propaganda carried out by the Tamil association that Balasingham’s ashes were in its possession said, this sort of propaganda will only hurt her feelings and of those who respected Anton Balasingham.

She also pointed out that instead of attempting to impress the innocent civilians through uncivilized ways and spending money on a mere stone structure, the people who have been affected by the war should be helped to lead a peaceful life.
In her autobiography titled The Will to Freedom Adele Balasingham has written the struggle she and her late husband faced when they led their life under the shadow of the LTTE Leader.

Balasingham, being a well-read journalist and attracted more towards philosopher Jittu Krishnamoorthy, led a very practical life accompanying the LTTE hierarchy.
Balasingham and Adele had escaped death at several occasions when they were trapped in the areas where clashes had erupted between the LTTE and the armed forces.

According to Adele in her book, even during the operations carried out by the Indian Peace Keeping Forces she and her husband were in a terrible situation in Jaffna and being a white skinned person she found it difficult to hide herself whenever she was on the run with her husband to escape from the military operations.
Adele Balasingham was instrumental in grooming the LTTE’s women’s wing, which was known as Suthanthira Paravaikal (independent birds) from the time it was started.

She also played a role in assisting the negotiations when her husband participated as chief negotiator on behalf of the LTTE.

Disappointment

However, they were thoroughly disappointed at the latter stages of the negotiations facilitated by Norway and Anton Balasingham had lost faith in Prabhakaran and predicted the total annihilation of the LTTE and the demise of Prabhakaran to some of his intimate people stating that Prabhakaran didn’t know anything and the whole world was going to hammer him to death.
On the other hand, Anton Balasingham while telling his wife where to immerse his ashes after the cremation of his body, had even discussed his funeral arrangements in London with his long time friend and the Editor of the new Tamil paper Kalai Kathir, N. Vithyathran in Jaffna.

So, by rejecting the false claim by a Tamil expatriate organization of having Anton Balasingham’s ashes, Adele Balasingham has unmasked the false propaganda carried out by various organizations posing themselves as supporters of the political struggle of the Lankan Tamils.

When the LTTE was active, several Tamil organizations were engaged in raising funds in various parts in the world claiming that that they were the supporters of the LTTE.
During the last phase of the civil war in the North and East, fund raising activities were carried out in several western capitals in the form conducting processions and meetings.

However, with the defeat of the LTTE, no one knows what has happened to the huge amount of money collected in foreign countries by so-called LTTE sympathizers during the final phase of the war.
The outside world would have seen Anton and Adele Balasingham as the guardian angels of the LTTE. But, in reality, they remained prisoners of circumstances in the iron grip of the LTTE Leader until Balasingham was diagnosed with a terminal illness and preferred to live his last days in London.

Anton Balasingham died at the age of 68 on 14 December 2006.
The recent statement released by his widow Adele Anne, breaking her silence on the 10th death anniversary of her husband with regard to the false claim of his ashes, has exposed and unmasked the unscrupulous elements which are still active posing as LTTE proxies abroad.