Arumugarasa Sabeswaran: A Life Dedicated to Journalism

In Sri Lanka, particularly in the North-East during and after the armed conflict, journalism was never simply a profession, it was an act of courage. Amid surveillance, intimidation and threats, Arumugarasa Sabeswaran, widely known as Sabesh, remained committed to journalism and the Tamils.

Sabesh passed away in Toronto on 29 July 2026, aged 47, after a prolonged illness. His death is a significant loss to Eelam Tamil journalism and Tamils.

He began his career at the Thinakkural newspaper in 2002, rising from staff reporter to Editor-in-Chief in 2016. Beyond the newsroom, he was deeply committed to the safety, rights and professional dignity of Tamil journalists. He also served as President of the Jaffna Press Club, playing an important role in strengthening independent journalism in the North-East.

As a lecturer at the Media Resources Training Centre of the University of Jaffna, Sabesh contributed to the development of a new generation of journalists. He had also earned a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from SRM Institute of Science and Technology in Tamil Nadu.

From 2011, he contributed to the Tamil Guardian, bringing news and developments from the North-East to an international audience. Earlier, under the pen name “Uruthiran,” he worked from Chennai for CMR 101.3 FM and TVI, providing coverage of Tamil political developments during the final years of the war.

Paying tribute, ITAK MP S. Shritharan described Sabesh as a journalist who courageously documented the devastation of the war and human rights violations against Tamils despite grave threats to his own safety. He remembered Sabesh as someone who stood firmly for the political rights of Eelam Tamils, carrying his pen as a weapon in the pursuit of truth and justice.

His former colleague Mario Arulthas, Editor-in-Chief of The North-Eastern and former Editor-in-Chief of the Tamil Guardian, also remembered him as a journalist who worked in extremely adverse conditions and remained supportive of younger activists and journalists, even during the dangerous years after 2009. He said Sabesh believed in the struggle and maintained a sharp, critical eye on Tamil issues.

Current Tamil Guardian Editor-in-Chief Thusiyan Nandakumar said Sabesh played a pivotal role in ensuring Tamil journalism continued in the years after the Mullivaikkal genocide. Sabesh played a key role in nurturing young journalists and in  developments from the Tamil homeland reached every corner of the globe, he added. 

Perhaps the most personal tribute came from Tharmapala Vinojith, Editor in chief Thinakkural, who knew Sabesh from the years when he served first as Assistant Editor and later as Editor.

Vinojith wrote that he was never sure whether to describe Sabesh as a friend, teacher or elder brother, because he had been all three. Their relationship extended beyond the workplace into journeys, media activism and countless shared experiences. Reflecting on his passing, Vinojith wrote that while death is inevitable for everyone, there are some losses the heart simply refuses to accept. He described Sabesh’s work and dedication to his people, beyond compromise, as something that would endure through time. He also expressed a deeply personal regret, that people often fail to celebrate and appreciate someone while they are still alive. For him, the fact that they had not celebrated Sabesh enough during his lifetime remained a painful feeling.

Vinojith concluded with what he believed was the truest tribute they could offer:

“The true tribute we can pay to our beloved elder brother is to take up the work he left behind and continue it. We dare to do so.”

And perhaps most fittingly, he wrote that even after they are gone, there will be people who remember Sabesh. That, he said, was the only wealth a journalist ever sought.

Sabesh Anna was deeply committed to bringing the issues of the North-East to the international community. He never chased recognition or praise. Instead, he quietly worked behind the scenes, giving a voice to issues that many others might have overlooked.

For me, his greatest lesson was that journalism is not simply about reporting what happens, it is about having the courage to ask difficult questions, stand with people in difficult times, and continue telling their stories even when it is not easy. His passing is a profound loss to Tamil journalism. As a journalist who had the privilege of learning from him in my formative years, I will carry those lessons with me.

While Sabesh is survived by his wife, two sons and daughter, his legacy extends beyond the articles he wrote, the newspaper he led or the journalists he mentored. It lives in the people he encouraged, the stories he brought to the world and the commitment to journalism he passed on to others. He spent his life bearing witness. His work remains, his words remain and those who learned from him will carry them forward.