Ponnuthurai Sivakumaran

Ponnuthurai Sivakumaran (; 26 September 1950 – 5 June 1974) was a Sri Lankan Tamil rebel and the first Tamil militant to commit suicide by swallowing cyanide.

Early life and family Sivakumaran was born on 26 September 1950. He was the son of Ponnuthurai, principal of Urumpirai Hindu Tamil Vidyasalai, and Annalakshmi. Sivakumaran's father and mother were both supporters of the Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi and its leader S. J. V. Chelvanayakam which influenced Sivakumaran's own political beliefs. Sivakumaran had two brothers and a sister. After school he joined Kokkuvil Junior Technical College but dropped out after two months. The group was known as the Thangadurai Group and was led by Thangadurai and Kuttimani. The group would later be known as the Tamil Liberation Organisation (TLO). Other members of the group included V. Prabhakaran, Sri Sabaratnam, Sivakumaran, Periya Sothi, Chinna Sothi, Chetti and Kannadi. In 1971 Sivakumaran joined the Tamil Student Federation militants including Sivakumaran attempted to rob the People's Bank in Kopay. As the bank's police guards gave chase, a cornered Sivakumaran swallowed a vial of cyanide, dying instantly. Sivakumaran became the first Tamil militant to die in such a manner and the first Tamil "martyr". A large public funeral was held which was attended by senior Tamil politicians. The edifice was demolished by the army during Operation Riviresa.