Global leaders mourn Jayalalitha's passing away

COLOMBO | SINGAPORE: Leaders from countries that have a significant Tamil population like Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Singapore, including Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena, on Tuesday condoled J Jayalalithaa's demise with the diaspora grieving the loss of their beloved leader.

“Chief Minister (Tamil Nadu) Jayalalithaa was a leader dearly loved by her people. I express my condolences to her loved ones and the people of Tamil Nadu,” Sirisena said.

Former Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa also offered his condolences, saying “she captured the hearts of India's Tamil community”.

Rajapaksa, during his presidency, had invited Jayalalithaa to visit Sri Lanka to witness the post-war conditions. Jayalalithaa had a checkered relationship with Sri Lanka.

While the Sinhala majority supported her strong anti-LTTE sentiments, they did not favour her for her pro-Tamil nationalist stance.

The Tamil minority in Sri Lanka favoured Jayalalithaa for her ability to pressure New Delhi to nudge Sri Lankan political leadership to grant concessions to Tamils.

Singapore's Foreign Minister Dr Vivian Balakrishnan travelled to Chennai and paid his respects to Jayalalithaa. Balakrishnan also laid a wreath at the funeral.

Balakrishnan has also written a letter to Chief Minister O Panneerselvam to convey Singapore's deepest condolences to the people of Tamil Nadu on their loss.

“Jayalalithaa dedicated her life to the socio-economic development of Tamil Nadu and through her leadership, Tamil Nadu grew to become one of India's key economies and industrialised states,” said Balakrishnan in the letter. The late Chief Minister was also a strong proponent of building closer relations between Tamil Nadu and Singapore, Balakrishna said. “Her passion, energy and grand vision were so inspiring. India has lost a great daughter and Singapore a staunch friend,” he wrote.