The following is a list of notable people assassinated by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, commonly known as Tamil Tigers or as LTTE.[1][2] The LTTE was a militant organisation that was based in northern Sri Lanka, which fought for a separate Tamil state in the north and east of Sri Lanka between 1983 and 2009.[3] The LTTE was decisively defeated by the Sri Lankan Military in May 2009 and it has been banned by 33 countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, India, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and the 27 member nations of the European Union.[4] At the height of its power, the LTTE possessed a well-developed militia and carried out many high-profile attacks, including the assassinations of an Indian prime minister, Sri Lankan president and several other high-ranking Sri Lankan politicians.[5][6][7][8] Some of the notable people who survived the assassination attempts of LTTE, are also included at the bottom of this list.
Heads of state and government
[edit]- Ranasinghe Premadasa – President of Sri Lanka[7][9]
- Rajiv Gandhi – Former Prime Minister of India[6][10]
Government ministers
[edit]- Lalith Athulathmudali – Former Sri Lankan Cabinet Minister of Trade, National Security, Agriculture, Education and Deputy Minister of Defence; DUNF MP[11][a]
- Gamini Dissanayake – UNP presidential candidate; Leader of the Opposition; Former Sri Lankan Cabinet Minister of Irrigation, Power, Highways, Land, Land Development, Plantation Industries, Mahaweli and Mahaweli Development; Former Chairman of the Sri Lanka Cricket Board; UNP MP[8][13]
- Ranjan Wijeratne – Sri Lankan Cabinet Minister of Foreign Affairs, Plantation Industries and Minister of State for Defense; UNP MP[8][14]
- Lakshman Kadirgamar – Sri Lankan Cabinet Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka; Prominent Tamil diplomat; lawyer; SLFP MP[15][16]
- Jeyaraj Fernandopulle – Sri Lankan Cabinet Minister of Highways & Road Development; Chief Government Whip of the Parliament of Sri Lanka; SLFP MP[17]
- C. V. Gunaratne – Sri Lankan Cabinet Minister of Industries Development; SLFP MP[8][13]
- Weerasinghe Mallimarachchi – Former Sri Lankan Cabinet Minister of Food, Co-operative, and Janasaviya-Poverty Alleviation; SLFP MP[8][13]
- G. M. Premachandra – Former Sri Lankan Cabinet Minister of Labour and Vocational Training; Former UNP MP[8][13]
- D. M. Dassanayake – Former Sri Lankan Non-Cabinet Minister of Nation Building; SLFP MP[18]
Members of Sri Lankan parliament
[edit]- Ossie Abeygunasekera – Former Chairman and Leader of the Sri Lanka Mahajana Pakshaya, 1988 SLMP presidential candidate; UNP MP[8][13]
- A. Amirthalingam – Former Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Tamil United Liberation Front; TULF MP[19][20]
- A. Thangathurai – TULF MP for Trincomalee District.[21]
- Alfred Duraiappah – SLFP MP for Jaffna District and Former Mayor of Jaffna.[22]
- M. Canagaratnam – TULF MP for Pottuvil[23]
- A. L. Abdul Majeed – Independent (formerly SLFP) MP for Mutur[24]
- S. Shanmuganathan – PLOTE MP for Vanni District[19]
- Nimalan Soundaranayagam – TULF MP for Batticaloa District[25]
- Sam Tambimuttu – EPRLF MP for Batticaloa District[13][26]
- Neelan Tiruchelvam – Scholar, international activist, legislator, lawyer, social scientist and politician. TULF MP from National List[27][28]
- G. Yogasangari – EPRLF MP for Jaffna District[29]
- V. Yogeswaran – Former TULF MP for Jaffna district[19][20]
Senior military and police officers
[edit]- Admiral Clancy Fernando – Former Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy[11]
- Lieutenant General Denzil Kobbekaduwa – General Officer Commanding, Northern Sector, Sri Lankan Army[11][b]
- Lieutenant General Parami Kulatunga – Deputy Chief of Staff, Sri Lankan Army[31]
- Lieutenant Generall Nalin Angammana – General Officer Commanding, 3rd Army Division, Sri Lankan Army[32]
- Major General Lucky Wijayaratne – Former Commander, 22 Brigade, Sri Lanka Army[11]
- Major General Larry Wijeratne -Former Brigade Commander, 51-4 Brigade[33]
- Major General Lakshman Algama – Former Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army[34]
- Major General Vijaya Wimalaratne – Former Commander of Jaffna, Sri Lanka Army[11][b]
- Major General Percy Fernando – Former Deputy General Officer Commanding, 54 Division, Sri Lanka Army[35]
- Major General Ananda Hamangoda – Former Brigade Commander, 51-2 Brigade, Sri Lanka Army[36]
- Major General Susantha Mendis – Former Brigade Commander, 51-4 Brigade[37]
- Major General Janaka Perera – Former Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army, Former High Commissioner to Australia & Ambassador to Indonesia, Former opposition leader of the North Central Provincial Council[38]
- Rear Admiral Mohan Jayamaha – Former Commander, Northern Naval Area, Sri Lanka Navy[39][b]
- Air Commodore Shirantha Goonatilake – Former Commanding Officer of No. 1 Flying Training Wing, Sri Lanka Air Force[40]
- Colonel Tuan Nizam Muthaliff – Former Commanding Officer, 1st Battalion, Military Intelligence Corps, Sri Lanka Army[41][42]
- Senior Deputy Inspector General T. N. De Silva – SDIG, Colombo Range, Sri Lanka Police[43][44]
- Senior Superintendent of Police Chandra Perera – Former SSP, Jaffna[37]
- Assistant Superintendent of Police Ivan Boteju – Former Assistant Superintendent, Kalmunai, Sri Lanka Police[45]
Prelates
[edit]- Kithalagama Sri Seelalankara Thera – Chief incumbent of the Dimbulagala Raja Maha Vihara, former Chief Sangha Nayake of Northern and Eastern provinces[46]
- Hegoda Sri Indrasara Thera – Chief incumbent of Vidyananda Maha Pirivena – Ampara, former Chief Sangha Nayake of Northern and Eastern provinces[47]
- Sivashri Kungaraja Kurukkal – Former head pandit of the Koneswaram temple of Trincomalee[48]
- Selliah Parameswaran Kurukkal – Chief Pujari of the Santhiveli Pilleyar Kovil, Batticaloa[49][50]
Activists and journalists
[edit]- Chelvy Thiyagarajah – Founder of feminist journal called Tholi, International PEN award winner in 1992[51]
- Balanadarajah Iyer – Sri Lankan Tamil activist, writer and poet[52][53]
- Kethesh Loganathan – Tamil political activist, Human Rights advocate and deputy secretary general of the Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process (SCOPP).[54]
- Rajani Thiranagama – University lecturer, Tamil human rights activist and feminist[55]
- Relangi Selvarajah – Tamil broadcaster and actress.[56]
Others
[edit]- C. E. Anandarajah – Sri Lankan educationist and former principal of St. John's College, Jaffna.[57]
- V. M. Panchalingam – Leading Sri Lankan Tamil civil servant and former District Secretary of Jaffna[58]
- S. Nadarajah – Sri Lankan Tamil lawyer, politician and former member of the Senate of Ceylon.[19]
- Sarojini Yogeswaran – Former Mayor of Jaffna[13][59]
- Gopalaswamy Mahendraraja – Former Deputy leader of the LTTE[60]
- Uma Maheswaran – Founder of the People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam.[13][c]
- Kumaraswamy Nandagopan – Former president of the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal[64]
Attempted assassinations
[edit]- Chandrika Kumaratunga – President of Sri Lanka[65][66]
- Maithripala Sirisena – Future president of Sri Lanka; Minister of Health and Agriculture[67][68]
- Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka – Eighteenth Commander of Sri Lankan Army[69]
- Gotabaya Rajapaksa – Future President of Sri Lanka; Secretary of the Ministry of Defence[70][71]
- Douglas Devananda – Leader of the Eelam People's Democratic Party[72][73]
- Nimal Siripala de Silva – Minister of Housing[74]
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ Other sources blame Athulathmudali's assassination on the Security Forces.[12]
- ^ a b c Other sources blame Jayamaha, Kobbekaduwa and Wimalaratne's assassinations on the Army.[30]
- ^ The Eelam National Democratic Liberation Front, an offshoot of PLOTE, claimed responsibility for Maheswaran's assassination.[61] Other independent sources blame Maheswaran's assassination on disgruntled members of PLOTE.[62][63]
References
[edit]- ^ Gunaratna, Rohan (3 November 2001). "Intelligence failures exposed by Tamil Tiger airport attack". Jane's Information Group. Archived from the original on 3 March 2007. Retrieved 27 April 2007.
- ^ Audrey Kurth Cronin; Huda Aden; Adam Frost & Benjamin Jones (6 February 2004). "CRS Report for Congress, Foreign Terrorist Organizations" (PDF). Bureau of Consular Affairs. The Library of Congress. Retrieved 29 April 2015.
- ^ Sri Lanka Conflict timeline, IRIN Asia
- ^ The European Union Lists Sri Lanka's Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) as a Banned Terrorist Organization, Worldwatch Institute
- ^ Taming the Tamil Tigers, The FBI
- ^ a b "Tamil Tiger 'regret' over Gandhi". BBC News. 27 June 2006. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
- ^ a b "Sri Lanka assassination plot". BBC News. 27 July 1998. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g Jane's Sentinel on LTTE success in resisting Sri Lankan forces, Tamil nation
- ^ Sambandan, V. S. (5 September 2005). "Inquiries into Premadasa, Dissanayake killings closed". The Hindu. Chennai, India. Archived from the original on 1 March 2007. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
- ^ "On This Day 21 May - 1991: Bomb kills India's former leader Rajiv Gandhi". BBC. 21 May 1991. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
- ^ a b c d e "Jane's Sentinel on LTTE success in resisting Sri Lankan forces". Tamil Nation. 4 September 2000. Retrieved 11 April 2014.
- ^ Rajasingham, K. T. "Chapter 58: Premadasa indicted". Sri Lanka: The Untold Story. Archived from the original on 12 October 2002.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ a b c d e f g h "Prominent Political Leaders Assassinated by The LTTE". South Asia Terrorism Portal. Archived from the original on 17 June 2011. Retrieved 11 April 2014.
- ^ "On This Day 2 March - 1991: Sri Lankan hardliner among 19 killed in blast". BBC. 2 March 1991. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
- ^ "The LTTE's war trap". The Hindu. 17 August 2006. Archived from the original on 24 May 2007. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
- ^ "Senior Sri Lanka minister killed". BBC News. London. 13 August 2005. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
- ^ "BBCSinhala.com". Retrieved 17 December 2014.
- ^ "D.M. Dassanayake, a Sri Lankan minister, is killed by bomb". New York Times. 8 January 2008. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
- ^ a b c d D. B. S. Jeyaraj (16 March 2008). "Assassinating Tamil Parliamentarians: The unceasing waves". The Nation, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original on 20 February 2014. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
- ^ a b Rajasingham, K. T. "Chapter 39: Amirthalingham eliminated". SRI LANKA: THE UNTOLD STORY. Archived from the original on 15 May 2002.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "Document - Sri Lanka: Tamil Tigers leaders should account for latest killings - Amnesty International". 21 July 1997. Retrieved 17 December 2014.
- ^ "Welcome to UTHR, Sri Lanka". Retrieved 17 December 2014.
- ^ Rajasingham, KT (2 February 2002). "SRI LANKA: THE UNTOLD STORY - Chapter 27 - Horsewhip Amirthalingham". Asia Times. Archived from the original on 16 April 2002. Retrieved 11 April 2014.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ LTTE has so far killed 25 parliamentarians
- ^ "Special Report No 17 - Rewarding Tyranny: Undermining the Democratic Potential for Peace". University Teachers for Human Rights. 7 October 2003.
- ^ Batti political family scion beckons Tamils away from politics of hate, The Island
- ^ Suicide bomber kills Lankan MP [dead link]
- ^ "Sri Lanka: Tamil politician assassinated". BBC News. 29 July 1999. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
- ^ Subramanian, T. S. (14 August 1999). "Chronicle of murders". Frontline. Vol. 16, no. 17. ISSN 0970-1710. Archived from the original on 10 November 2012.
- ^ Rajasingham, K. T. "Chapter 52: President blamed for assassinations". Sri Lanka: The Untold Story. Archived from the original on 22 February 2003.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ Sri Lanka general killed in blast - BBC News
- ^ "Passage - Died". Asiaweek. Archived from the original on 5 August 2012. Retrieved 11 April 2014.
- ^ Brigadier Larry Wijeratne's Legacy- UTHR(Jaffna)-Sri Lanka
- ^ "The Island". Retrieved 17 December 2014.
- ^ "The fall of Elephant Pass". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
- ^ Situation Report 7 July 1996 - How 2 brave soldiers saved minister By Iqbal Athas www.sundaytimes.lk
- ^ a b Subramaniam, Nirupama. "Murder of Brigadier Susantha Mendis". Indian Express. Lanka Library. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
- ^ "Maj Gen Janaka Perera and his wife killed in LTTE suicide attack in Anuradhapura". Asian Tribune. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
- ^ "Lt Gen Denzil Kobbekaduwa & Other Heroes Remembered at Araly". News.lk. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
- ^ "Harry Goonatilake, a true patriot". Daily News- Spice. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
- ^ Fourth anniversary of Col. Muthaliff’s assassination
- ^ LTTE assassinates Major Nizam Muthalif- Society for Peace, Unity and Human Rights in Sri Lanka (SPUR)
- ^ President survives assassination bid
- ^ "Suicide Attacks by the LTTE". SATP. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
- ^ The Saddest Day in Police History - Daily News
- ^ "Chronology Of Ltte Terror - Part 57". Daily News Archives. Daily News Online. 4 August 2009. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
- ^ "Marking of Aranthalava massacre: Reminder of inhumanity of LTTE". Retrieved 1 September 2014.
- ^ Hindu Priest Shot Dead by Suspected LTTE Amid Fierce Clashes , Outlook India
- ^ Hindu priest shot dead, The Hindu
- ^ Kurukkal gunned down by LTTE : Trail of atrocities, Tops.lk
- ^ Foreword- University Teachers of Human Rights for Human Rights Sri lanka
- ^ "The Sunday Leader Online". Retrieved 17 December 2014.
- ^ "Martyred Bala Nadarajah Iyer remembered in Toronto, Canada despite threats and intimidation". Retrieved 17 December 2014.
- ^ "Welcome to UTHR, Sri Lanka". Retrieved 17 December 2014.
- ^ "On the occasion of the release of No More Tears Sister, a film on the life and times of Rajani Thiranagama". University Teachers for Human Rights (Jaffna), Sri Lanka. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
- ^ "8th death anniversary of popular Tamil Broadcaster gunned down by LTTE". Daily News. 15 November 2013. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
- ^ Gautamadasa, Aravinda (3 March 2014). "Commemorating a slain principal". The Island, Sri Lanka.
- ^ "Jaffna Govt. Agent Shot Dead". Tamil Times. Vol. VIII, no. 6. May 1989. p. 17. ISSN 0266-4488.
- ^ Assassination of Tamil Leader Appapillai Amirthalingam by the LTTE 25 Years Ago
- ^ "Asia Times". Archived from the original on 25 October 2002. Retrieved 17 December 2014.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ Rajasingham, K. T. "Chapter 36: Indians rule the roost". Sri Lanka: The Untold Story. Archived from the original on 27 April 2002.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ Jeyaraj, D. B. S. (15 May 2005). "From gun to pen - II". The Sunday Leader.
- ^ Rajasingham, K. T. "Chapter 39: Amirthalingham eliminated". Sri Lanka: The Untold Story. Archived from the original on 15 May 2002.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ Eastern Province CM’s Personal Secretary, driver gunned down Archived 2011-06-29 at the Wayback Machine Sri Lanka Daily News - 15 November 2008
- ^ Sri Lankan President Kumaratunga narrowly escapes assassination by suicide bomber, WSWS.org
- ^ President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, GlobalSecurity.org
- ^ Minister Maithripala Sirisena miraculously escapes, Asian Tribune
- ^ Columns - Situation report, The Sunday Times
- ^ Former Army Commander Sarath Fonseka promoted Field Marshal Archived 2015-07-07 at the Wayback Machine, Daily News
- ^ Attacks blamed on Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers , The Reuters
- ^ Three-wheeler got closer and closer and then a bang..., The Sunday Times, Asif Furad
- ^ LTTE explodes a human bomb-targeting Minister Douglas Devananda
- ^ Attempt on Douglas Devananda’s life , The Island
- ^ Nimal: I'm going back to Jaffna, The Sunday Times