Sri Lanka rebel negotiator Balasingham dead

Colombo, Dec 15: Tamil Tiger's chief negotiator Anton Balasingham passed away in London last evening.

The London-based Balasingham was suffering from a severe cancerous disease. He was 68.

The Kidney-transplanted Balasingham was already a heart and diabetic patient and had been living in London with his Australian-born wife Adale Anne. He had led LTTE delegations for political negotiations with several Sri Lankan governments over the past 20 years, beginning with the Thimpu talks in 1985.

According to a pro-LTTE website, he was diagnosed with bile duct cancer (cholangiocarcinoma), a rare and aggressive malignancy of the biliary system, in mid November.

According to the website, three weeks ago Balasingham had described his latest disease as an unfortunate personal tragedy.

''However, when compared to the vast ocean of the collective tragedy faced by my people, my illness is merely a pebble. I am deeply sad that I am crippled by this illness, unable to contribute anything substantial towards the alleviation of the immense suffering and oppression of my people,'' Balasingham has been quoted as saying.

UNI

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