Ananthi Sasitharan ( Tamil: அனந்தி சசிதரன், romanized: Aṉanti Cacitaraṉ; born 10 September 1971 ) is a Sri Lankan Tamil activist, politician and provincial minister. She is the wife of Velayutham Sasitharan (alias Elilan), the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam's political head for Trincomalee. ^{[1] [2]}

Early life and family

Ananthi was born on 10 September 1971. ^{[3] [4]} Her parents were from Kankesanthurai and Chulipuram in northern Ceylon. ^{[3] [4]} Ananthi's sister Vasanthi was a member of the Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front and was killed by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 1989. ^{[3] [4]} Her younger brother went missing whilst fighting for the LTTE. ^{[3] [4]}

Ananthi was educated at Victoria College, Chulipuram. ^{[3] [4]} Whilst at school she met Velayutham Sasitharan (alias Elilan) who was active in the political wing of the rebel LTTE. ^{[3] [4]} Ananthi fell in love with Elilan but Elilan told her to concentrate on her studies. ^{[3] [4]}

Life with the LTTE

After school Ananthi studied accountancy but gave this up in 1992 after getting a job at the Jaffna District Secretariat. ^{[3] [4]} She worked for Valikamam West Divisional Secretariat between 1993 and 1996. ^{[3] [4]} After the Sri Lankan military re-captured the Valikamam region in 1996 Elilan and the LTTE re-located to the Vanni. ^[4] Ananthi followed them and worked as a clerk for the Mullaitivu District Secretariat between 1997 and 2003. ^{[3] [4]} She worked as a management assistant at Kilinochchi District Secretariat from 2003 to 2013. ^[3]

Ananthi and Elilan were eventually married, on 6 June 1998 at Mulliyawalai. ^{[3] [4]} Elilan rose up the ranks with the LTTE and was appointed political head for Vavuniya District. ^[3] After the 2002 Norwegian mediated peace he was appointed political head for Trincomalee District. ^[3] After the Sri Lankan military re-captured the Eastern Province Elilan re-located to the Vanni and worked at the Kilinochchi District Secretariat alongside his wife. ^[3]

The Sasitharan family were amongst 300,000+ people from the Vanni who fled as the Sri Lankan military advanced in late 2008/early 2009. ^[3] According to Ananthi the family, along with senior LTTE leaders, surrendered to the Sri Lankan military on 18 May 2009 at Vattavaagal. ^{[3] [5]} Elilan disappeared after surrendering to the Sri Lankan military. ^{[6] [5]}

Ananthi and her three daughters ended up in the IDP camps before she resumed her work as an Management Assistant in the Samurdhi Department of the Kilinochchi District Secretariat. ^[3] Her children were sent to live with her family in Chulipuram. ^[3]

Activist life

Ananthi, who believes that her husband Elilan is in the custody of the Sri Lankan government, has been campaigning to find him and get him released. ^{[7] [8]} She has also campaigned on behalf of families of others who disappeared during the civil war and war widows. ^{[9] [10]} She has met with United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay and United States Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues Stephen Rapp during their visits to Sri Lanka. ^{[10] [11]}

Ananthi contested the 2013 provincial council election as one of the Tamil National Alliance's candidates in Jaffna District and was elected to the Northern Provincial Council. ^{[12] [13]} During the election campaign she was the target of several attacks. On 20 September 2013 a vehicle carrying Ananthi was attacked by men on a motorbike near Chunnakam. ^{[14] [15]} On 20 September 2013 a group of around 70 armed men in military uniform attacked Sasitharan's home in Chulipuram, injuring some of her supporters and an election monitor. ^{[16] [17] [18]} On 21 September 2013, the day of the election, a fake edition of the pro-TNA newspaper Uthayan appeared, falsely claiming that Ananthi had defected to the governing United People's Freedom Alliance. ^{[19] [20] [21]} This false story was repeated in pro-UPFA Dan TV and Asian Tribune website. ^{[19] [22]}

After the election Ananthi was appointed to assist the Chief Minister on the rehabilitation of war victims. ^[23] She took her oath as provincial councillor in front of Chief Minister C. V. Vigneswaran at Veerasingam Hall on 11 October 2013. ^{[24] [25]}

After being elected Ananthi has taken her campaign abroad to Denmark, Germany, Norway, Switzerland and the USA. ^[4] In January 2014 the nationalist Island newspaper reported that the Sri Lankan military was considering sending Ananthi for " rehabilitation", a move that Ananthi has stated she would defy. ^{[26] [27] [28]}

Ananthi was sworn in as Minister of Women's Affairs, Rehabilitation, Social Services, Co-operatives, Food Supply and Distribution, Industries and Enterprise Promotion in front of Governor Reginald Cooray on 29 June 2017. ^{[29] [30] [31]} She was given the additional portfolio of Trade and Commerce on 23 August 2017. ^[32]

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