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London Tamil burns himself to death at UN
Rashid Razaq19 Feb 2009
A TAMIL man from London burned himself to death outside the United Nations building in Geneva in protest at his people's treatment in Sri Lanka.
Computing graduate Murugathasan Varnakulasingham, 26, left his home in Harrow to attend a demonstration in the Swiss capital, where he doused himself in petrol and set himself alight last Thursday.
Police tried to save the part-time Sainsbury's shelf-stacker but his injuries proved too great.
Mr Varnakulasingham is the seventh Tamil to burn to death in the past month in protest at the Sri Lankan government's military offensive against the Tamil Tigers, which has led to civilian deaths and accusations of human rights violations.
His suicide note left outside the UN building read: "We Tamils, displaced and all over the world, loudly raised our problems and asked for help before (the) international community in your own language for three decades. But nothing happened."
Reader views (8)
How would you feel if you we're backed into a hell filled dirty corner where life becomes meaningless? You might find suicide a grander scheme. If nothing more it showered attention on this situation. It is astonishing that it evolved to such extremes but don't be so quick to judge "these people" til you have been in their shoes. I doubt with your cushy lives where your worries don't go much beyond what bar to go to after work, or what movie you feel like watching that you can fathom what it must be like to feel your people brutalized and humiliated while the majority of the world sits back and does nothing. Sacrafice is all but lost in this world and if more of us we're just a tad bit more understanding and not so caught up in petty judgements then maybe this man would not have felt that he had to go to this extreme. You can separate youself as much as you feel but we are all in this together weather we want to be or not. One world, one love, but then again I'm not here to help you understand, you have to do that for yourself. It is a shallow being that rejects the human condition of those that aren't privileged to know excess. Money makes you numb.
- Nina, Houston, USA, 21/02/2009 15:34
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I do not condone his actions but it does speak to the UN's in ability to do, anything really. Ambon, the Tamils, Rwanda, Darfur... places that needed action & the world community, especially the UN, did nothing of consequence. And there is a big difference between a suicide & a suicide bomber. One is taking his life to show the world the pain his people have been going through. The other uses his life to take the lives of other to strike fear into the hearts of innocents. One is bloodthirsty for revenge, one is crying out for help for his people.
Again, I do not condone his actions.
- Rick Brumfield, Springfield, USA, 21/02/2009 04:40
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These people are beyond belief.
- Charles, London, 20/02/2009 07:52
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This shows the low value some tamils put to their lives. They think that by committing suicide or being a suicide bomber they can achieve their illusionary aims.
- Bhumi, Melbourne Australia, 19/02/2009 21:40
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As a Tamil I can understand this young man's frustration, yet, every life we lose is a shame.
I sincerely hope that the Sri Lankan government stops killing Tamil people immediately so that lives can be saved there and incidents of this nature can be prevented in the West.
This young man set himself alight in the night after the main protest had finished and people had gone home.
- Peter Ratna, Wayne, NJ, 19/02/2009 21:31
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Geneva, the Swiss capital? The capital of Switzerland is Bern.
- André, Cranves-Sales, France, 19/02/2009 17:39
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This kind of incidents shouldn't be encouraged and I am fully with Keith. From other internet sources I learned that there were thousands of "Tamils" gathered on that day and still wondering WHY no one tried to prevent him from doing that!
As a human being I feel very sorry for this guy and his family but as a Sri Lankan Tamil I am ashamed of this incident. In this modern world there are many ways to show your feelings but not like this!
- Gee, Herts,Uk, Herts,UK, 19/02/2009 15:02
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The warning signs were there when he only bought a one-way ticket. Why oh why didn't someone stop him?
- Keith, Kings Cross, London, UK, 19/02/2009 13:18
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