Jaffna District Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian, K. Sivanesan, was killed in a Claymore attack on his vehicle carried out by a Deep Penetration Unit of the Sri Lanka Army lying in ambush along the A9 highway in Tamil Tiger controlled Vanni.
His driver was also killed in the attack in which the DPU soldiers exploded four Claymore mines in a row, Tamileelam Police officials said.
Mr. Sivanesan's driver, Periyannan Maheswararajah, 27, a father of one, from Cheddiku'lam, Vavuniyaa, was killed on the spot.
The MP succumbed to his injuries while being rushed to Maangkulam hospital. He leaves behind his wife and four children, 2 sons and 2 daughters.
An 11-year-old boy from Kugnchukku'lam, Arulnaathan Lujithnathan, cycling on the road was also injured.
Mr. Sivanesan, born on 21 January, 1957, was General Manager of Northern Region Palm Development CO-OP society's Uni-Cluster, between 1996 and 2004, before being elected to Sri Lanka Parliament.
The only country to condemn the assassination was peace facilitator Norway.
Mr. Sivanesan had been part of a TNA delegation that visited Oslo last December to protest the Sri Lankan government’s persecution of the Tamil people.
In London a group of Parliamentarians from all of Britain’s main political parties Tuesday condemned the assassination and urged their government to rein in Sri Lanka’s hardline regime.
The Liberation Tigers conferred their highest civilian award on Mr. Sivanesan, the title of Maamanithar.
The leader of the Liberation Tigers, Velupillai Pirapaharan, paid his respects to the slain on Saturday. Senior LTTE leaders, including Intelligence Chief Poddu Ammaan, Political Head B. Nadesan and the Head of Financial Division Thamizheanthi accompanied Mr. Pirapaharan and also garlanded the casket.
Remembering Mr. Sivanesan's longstanding contribution to eradicating poverty in the Tamil areas through co-operative efforts, the Head of the LTTE Political Wing, Mr. B Nadesan, said the MP had always lived alongside the people.
“When people are displaced, he was also displaced; when civilians were getting bombed by the Sri Lankan military, he was there to help them.”
“He believed in empowering people through the cooperative structures at the grassroots. He believed wholeheartedly in the liberation of the Tamil homeland.”
“Although he never trusted that the parliamentary politics in the South would lead to the liberation of the Tamils, but worked to expose the failings of the system itself. When Tamils were deprived of political voice, he visited foreign countries to convey the plight of his people and served as the people's voice," Nadesan said.
Mr. Sivanesan is the latest of several outspoken Tamil parliamentarians murdered by Sri Lankan commandos or Army-backed paramilitaries.
Speaking in Oslo last December, he told reporters: “we are being looked upon in the Sri Lankan parliament as if we were representing a people of another country.”
Extracts of the official TNA statement follow:
"Mr. Sivanesan was elected to parliament from Jaffna district in 2004 general elections. He had shifted his family from Karaveddi, Jaffna to Mallaavi due to the closure of the A9 highway. He also faced threat to his life and him while residing in Karaveddi.
"Sivanesan participated in the debate in parliament on March 5 and voted against the motion extending the state of emergency for another month. Later, he left for Mallaavi where his family has been residing in his vehicle. He met his death on his way to Mallaavi. He had miraculously escaped a claymore explosion during the middle of last year in the same site targeting his vehicle.
"It is believed that the claymore attack targeting Mr. Sivanesan had been carried out by the Deep Penetration Unit of the Sri Lanka Army. Such attacks had been carried earlier in Vanni by the Deep Penetration Unit of the SLA.
"The TNA points out at this juncture that its parliamentarians Joseph Pararajasingham in Batticaloa, N.Raviraj in Colombo, former parliamentarians Chandra Nehru (Ampaa'rai), Sivamaharasa (Jaffna) and a candidate, Vigneswaran (Trincomalee) and several heads of local authorities in the North and East had also been killed in a planned way.
"The TNA stresses at this juncture that no force could stop Tamils voicing and fighting for the freedom of their community by killing its democratically elected representatives and subjecting them to intimidation and death threats.
"Mr. Sivanesan worked hard for the emancipation of the Tamil people, against social injustice and for the development of co-operative movement. He won the hearts of Tamils by his unwavering stand on the freedom struggle by his deed and speech. He dedicated himself from the young age for the liberation of his people.
"The death of Mr.Sivanesan is an irreparable loss to the Tamil community. His sacrifice would not go unrewarded. It would contribute to the liberation of the Tamil nation.
"We expresses our deepest condolences to his wife and children and the supporters."
His driver was also killed in the attack in which the DPU soldiers exploded four Claymore mines in a row, Tamileelam Police officials said.
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The MP succumbed to his injuries while being rushed to Maangkulam hospital. He leaves behind his wife and four children, 2 sons and 2 daughters.
An 11-year-old boy from Kugnchukku'lam, Arulnaathan Lujithnathan, cycling on the road was also injured.
Mr. Sivanesan, born on 21 January, 1957, was General Manager of Northern Region Palm Development CO-OP society's Uni-Cluster, between 1996 and 2004, before being elected to Sri Lanka Parliament.
The only country to condemn the assassination was peace facilitator Norway.
Mr. Sivanesan had been part of a TNA delegation that visited Oslo last December to protest the Sri Lankan government’s persecution of the Tamil people.
In London a group of Parliamentarians from all of Britain’s main political parties Tuesday condemned the assassination and urged their government to rein in Sri Lanka’s hardline regime.
The Liberation Tigers conferred their highest civilian award on Mr. Sivanesan, the title of Maamanithar.
The leader of the Liberation Tigers, Velupillai Pirapaharan, paid his respects to the slain on Saturday. Senior LTTE leaders, including Intelligence Chief Poddu Ammaan, Political Head B. Nadesan and the Head of Financial Division Thamizheanthi accompanied Mr. Pirapaharan and also garlanded the casket.
Remembering Mr. Sivanesan's longstanding contribution to eradicating poverty in the Tamil areas through co-operative efforts, the Head of the LTTE Political Wing, Mr. B Nadesan, said the MP had always lived alongside the people.
“When people are displaced, he was also displaced; when civilians were getting bombed by the Sri Lankan military, he was there to help them.”
“He believed in empowering people through the cooperative structures at the grassroots. He believed wholeheartedly in the liberation of the Tamil homeland.”
“Although he never trusted that the parliamentary politics in the South would lead to the liberation of the Tamils, but worked to expose the failings of the system itself. When Tamils were deprived of political voice, he visited foreign countries to convey the plight of his people and served as the people's voice," Nadesan said.
Mr. Sivanesan is the latest of several outspoken Tamil parliamentarians murdered by Sri Lankan commandos or Army-backed paramilitaries.
Speaking in Oslo last December, he told reporters: “we are being looked upon in the Sri Lankan parliament as if we were representing a people of another country.”
Extracts of the official TNA statement follow:
"Mr. Sivanesan was elected to parliament from Jaffna district in 2004 general elections. He had shifted his family from Karaveddi, Jaffna to Mallaavi due to the closure of the A9 highway. He also faced threat to his life and him while residing in Karaveddi.
"Sivanesan participated in the debate in parliament on March 5 and voted against the motion extending the state of emergency for another month. Later, he left for Mallaavi where his family has been residing in his vehicle. He met his death on his way to Mallaavi. He had miraculously escaped a claymore explosion during the middle of last year in the same site targeting his vehicle.
"It is believed that the claymore attack targeting Mr. Sivanesan had been carried out by the Deep Penetration Unit of the Sri Lanka Army. Such attacks had been carried earlier in Vanni by the Deep Penetration Unit of the SLA.
"The TNA points out at this juncture that its parliamentarians Joseph Pararajasingham in Batticaloa, N.Raviraj in Colombo, former parliamentarians Chandra Nehru (Ampaa'rai), Sivamaharasa (Jaffna) and a candidate, Vigneswaran (Trincomalee) and several heads of local authorities in the North and East had also been killed in a planned way.
"The TNA stresses at this juncture that no force could stop Tamils voicing and fighting for the freedom of their community by killing its democratically elected representatives and subjecting them to intimidation and death threats.
"Mr. Sivanesan worked hard for the emancipation of the Tamil people, against social injustice and for the development of co-operative movement. He won the hearts of Tamils by his unwavering stand on the freedom struggle by his deed and speech. He dedicated himself from the young age for the liberation of his people.
"The death of Mr.Sivanesan is an irreparable loss to the Tamil community. His sacrifice would not go unrewarded. It would contribute to the liberation of the Tamil nation.
"We expresses our deepest condolences to his wife and children and the supporters."
