Veteran expatriate activist passes away

Doyen of Tamil expatriate social activists, Mr C J T Thamotheram, passed away Tuesday. A retired teacher, Mr Thamotheram, devoted his years in UK working on Tamil issues.

He established the London’s first Tamil School - the West London Tamil School and was among those involved in forming the Standing Committee of Tamils (SCOT) in 1977. In October 1981 he founded the monthly Tamil Times which served as the voice of the expatriate community for many years, but which he later criticised as having turned against the Tamil cause.

He then set up the League of Friends of the Jaffna University and a London-based think tank, the International Tamil Foundation (ITF). Earlier this year, despite poor health, he launched the Tamil Writers' Guild.

The funeral service is on Friday November 4 at 11.00 AM at the Rivercourt Methodist Church, King Street, Hammersmith, London W6 9JT. It will be followed by a private family cremation.

He is survived by his wife Florence (Malar), his sons, Vijay, Priya, and Raj, daughters Sunetra, Thiru and Shantini, six grand children and two great grand children. Family requests not to send flowers but encourages making donations made payable to 'White Pigeon', (Registered Charity).

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