Chennai: Tributes poured in from Tamil Diaspora, especially from Singapore, Malaysia and Sri Lanka, on Tuesday to Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa with Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena calling her a “leader dearly loved by her people”.
Rich tributes poured in from countries where Tamils are a sizeable population with even former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who is demonized in Tamil Nadu for his alleged role in 2009 Eelam War, condoled her death and said “she captured the hearts of India’s Tamil community”.
Mr Sirisena said the Chief Minister Jayalalithaa was a leader dearly loved by her people. “I express my condolences to her loved ones and the people of Tamil Nadu,” he said.
Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraveera said her service to the people of Tamil Nadu would be remembered with gratitude. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Tamil Nadu at this time. I wish them strength and fortitude to face this loss,” he said in a condolence message.
Ms Jayalalithaa has been a hard fighter against Colombo alleging that the government and military were involved in large-scale human rights violations during the last phase of the civil war. She also moved a unanimous resolution on the floor of the Tamil Nadu Assembly declaring that a separate Eelam was the only option to reclaim the rights of the Tamil people in Sri Lanka.
Singapore Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan air-dashed to Chennai to pay respects to Ms Jayalalithaa. In Malaysia, the country’s largest ethnic Indian party, the Malaysian Indian Congress, condoled Ms Jayalalithaa’s demise, describing her as a “super woman”.
“As we all know, the late J Jayalalithaa was a charismatic leader and had done a lot for the Indian people, especially concerning for welfare of the poor, the women and the marginalised community,” said Vel Paari, Treasurer General of the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) and son of Samy Vellu, who served as MIC president for almost three decades.
In South Africa, the South African Tamil Federation has called on all its affiliates to host special prayer services for the late Tamil Nadu CM.
