Lanka Lawyer wins UNESCO prize for Peace

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In the media Hindustan Times, New Delhi - 15th September 2006

Lawyer and teacher, V. Anadasangaree, who heads the moderate Sri Lankan Tamil United Liberation Front, has been selected for the 2006 Unesco-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the promotion of tolerance and non-violence.

According to an official release from Unesco headquarters in Paris, Anadasangaree, 73,was chosen for the award for his role “as an indefatigable advocate of democracy and peaceful conflict resolution.”

He has contributed “to raising awareness of the Tamil cause in a spirit of dialogue, while seeking to promote non-violent solutions to Sri Lanka and opposing terrorism,” the statement said.

The beleaguered TULF, which Anadasangaree heads, has consistently attempted to seek a peaceful resolution to the ethnic crisis in Sri Lanka in the wake of threats from Tamil militants.

  The $(USD)100,000-UNESCO Madanjeet Singh Prize was set up in 1995, on the occasion of the 125th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, with a bequest from Indian writer and diplomat Madanjeet Singh, who is also a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador.

Members of the Jury include former Indian Prime Minster IK Gujral,former Colombian President Andres Pastrana Arango, Bahia Harriri, Sergei Markarov and Manu Dibango.

The Prize, given every two years, is dedicated to propagating the spirit of tolerance in the arts, education, culture, science and communication. The award will be presented at a ceremony on 16th November, the International Day of Tolerance.

Bangladeshi writer and journalist Tasmima Nasreen was the previous winner of the award in 2004.