List of people assassinated by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
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 is a now-defunct 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 30 countries, including the United States, Canada, India 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.
Contents
Heads of state and government
- Rajiv Gandhi[6][9] - Former Prime Minister of India
- Ranasinghe Premadasa[7][10] - Former President of Sri Lanka
Government ministers
- Lalith Athulathmudali[11][lower-alpha 1] - Former Sri Lankan Cabinet Minister of Trade, National Security, Agriculture, Education and deputy minister of defence.
- Gamini Dissanayake[8][13] - Former United National Party presidential candidate and 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
- Ranjan Wijeratne[8][14] - Former Sri Lankan Cabinet Minister of Foreign Affairs, Plantation Industries and Minister of State for Defense
- Lakshman Kadirgamar[15][16] Former Sri Lankan Cabinet Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka, Prominent Tamil diplomat, politician and lawyer.
- Jeyaraj Fernandopulle[17] - Former Sri Lankan Cabinet Minister of Highways & Road Development, the chief government whip of the parliament of Sri Lanka
- C. V. Gunaratne[8][13] - Former Sri Lankan Cabinet Minister of Industries Development.
- Weerasinghe Mallimarachchi[8][13] - Former Sri Lankan Cabinet Minister of Food, Co-operative, and Janasaviya-Poverty Alleviation
- G. M. Premachandra[8][13] - Former Sri Lankan Cabinet Minister of Labour and Vocational Training
- D. M. Dassanayake[18] - Former Sri Lankan non-cabinet Minister of Nation Building
Members of Sri Lankan parliament
- Ossie Abeygunasekera[8][13] - Former Chairman and Leader of the Sri Lanka Mahajana Pakshaya, Former candidate of the Presidential election in 1989
- A. Amirthalingam[19][20] - Leading Sri Lankan Tamil politician and former Leader of the Opposition.
- A. Thangathurai[21]- Former Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) Member of Parliament for Trincomalee District.
- Alfred Duraiappah[22] - Former Sri Lanka Freedom Party member of the parliament for Jaffna District and former mayor of Jaffna.
- M. Canagaratnam[23] Former Tamil United Liberation Front MP for Pottuvil
- A. L. Abdul Majeed[24] - Former Sri Lanka Freedom Party MP for Mutur
- S. Shanmuganathan[19] Former Democratic People's Liberation Front MP for Vanni District
- Nimalan Soundaranayagam[25] - Former Tamil United Liberation Front MP for Batticaloa District
- Sam Tambimuttu[13][26] Former Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front MP for Batticaloa District
- Neelan Tiruchelvam[27][28] - Scholar, international activist, legislator, lawyer, social scientist and politician. Former Member of the Sri Lanka Parliament from National List
- G. Yogasangari[29] - Former Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front MP for Jaffna District
- V. Yogeswaran[19][20] Former Tamil United Liberation Front MP for Jaffna district
Senior military and police officers
- Admiral Clancy Fernando[11] - Former Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy
- Lieutenant General Denzil Kobbekaduwa[11][lower-alpha 2] - General Officer Commanding, Northern Sector, Sri Lankan Army
- Lieutenant General Parami Kulatunga[31] - Deputy Chief of Staff, Sri Lankan Army
- Lieutenant Generall Nalin Angammana[32] - General Officer Commanding, 3rd Army Division, Sri Lankan Army
- Major General Lucky Wijayaratne[11] - Former Commander, 22 Brigade, Sri Lanka Army
- Major General Larry Wijeratne[33] -Former Brigade Commander, 51-4 Brigade
- Major General Lakshman Algama[34] - Former Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army
- Major General Vijaya Wimalaratne[11][lower-alpha 2] - Former Commander of Jaffna, Sri Lanka Army
- Major General Percy Fernando[35] - Former Deputy General Officer Commanding, 54 Division, Sri Lanka Army
- Major General Ananda Hamangoda[36] - Former Brigade Commander, 51-2 Brigade, Sri Lanka Army
- Major General Susantha Mendis[37] - Former Brigade Commander, 51-4 Brigade
- Major General Janaka Perera[38] - 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
- Rear Admiral Mohan Jayamaha[39][lower-alpha 2] - Former Commander, Northern Naval Area, Sri Lanka Navy
- Air Commodore Shirantha Goonatilake[40] - Former Commanding Officer of No. 1 Flying Training Wing, Sri Lanka Air Force
- Colonel Tuan Nizam Muthaliff[41][42] - Former Commanding Officer, 1st Battalion, Military Intelligence Corps, Sri Lanka Army
- Senior Deputy Inspector General T. N. De Silva[43][44] - SDIG, Colombo Range, Sri Lanka Police
- Senior Superintendent of Police Chandra Perera[37] - Former SSP, Jaffna
- Assistant Superintendent of Police Ivan Boteju[45] - Former Assistant Superintendent, Kalmunai, Sri Lanka Police
Prelates
- Kithalagama Sri Seelalankara Thera[46] - Chief incumbent of the Dimbulagala Raja Maha Vihara, former Chief Sangha Nayake of Northern and Eastern provinces
- Hegoda Sri Indrasara Thera[47] - Chief incumbent of Vidyananda Maha Pirivena - Ampara, former Chief Sangha Nayake of Northern and Eastern provinces
- Sivashri Kungaraja Kurukkal[48] - Former head pandit of the Koneswaram temple of Trincomalee
- Selliah Parameswaran Kurukkal[49][50] - Chief Pujari of the Santhiveli Pilleyar Kovil, Batticaloa
Activists and journalists
- Chelvy Thiyagarajah[51] - Founder of feminist journal called Tholi, International PEN award winner in 1992
- Balanadarajah Iyer[52][53] - Sri Lankan Tamil activist, writer and poet
- Kethesh Loganathan[54] - Tamil political activist, Human Rights advocate and deputy secretary general of the Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process (SCOPP).
- Rajani Thiranagama[55] - University lecturer, Tamil human rights activist and feminist
- Relangi Selvarajah[56] - Tamil broadcaster and actress.
Others
- C. E. Anandarajah[57] - Sri Lankan educationist and former principal of St. John's College, Jaffna.
- V. M. Panchalingam[58] - Leading Sri Lankan Tamil civil servant and former District Secretary of Jaffna
- S. Nadarajah[19] - Sri Lankan Tamil lawyer, politician and former member of the Senate of Ceylon.
- Sarojini Yogeswaran[13][59] - Former Mayor of Jaffna
- Gopalaswamy Mahendraraja[60] - Former Deputy leader of the LTTE
- Uma Maheswaran[13][lower-alpha 3] - Founder of the People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam.
- Kumaraswamy Nandagopan[64] - Former president of the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal
Attempted assassinations
- Chandrika Kumaratunga[65][66] - Former president of Sri Lanka
- Maithreepala Sirisena[67][68] - Current president of Sri Lanka, Former minister of Health and Agriculture
- Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka[69] - Eighteenth Commander of Sri Lankan Army
- Gotabhaya Rajapaksa[70][71] - Former Secretary of the Ministry of Defence, Sri Lanka
- Douglas Devananda[72][73] - Leader of the Eelam People's Democratic Party
- Nimal Siripala de Silva[74] - Current Minister of Transport in the Parliament of Sri Lanka
Notes
- ↑ Other sources blame Athulathmudali's assassination on the Security Forces.[12]
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 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
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 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
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 Jane's Sentinel on LTTE success in resisting Sri Lankan forces, Tamil nation
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 13.6 13.7 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ LTTE has so far killed 25 parliamentarians
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Batti political family scion beckons Tamils away from politics of hate, The Island
- ↑ Suicide bomber kills Lankan MP
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Sri Lanka general killed in blast - BBC News
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Brigadier Larry Wijeratne's Legacy- UTHR(Jaffna)-Sri Lanka
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Situation Report 7th July 1996 - How 2 brave soldiers saved minister By Iqbal Athas www.sundaytimes.lk
- ↑ 37.0 37.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 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
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ The Saddest Day in Police History - Daily News
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 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
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Assassination of Tamil Leader Appapillai Amirthalingam by the LTTE 25 Years Ago
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Eastern Province CM’s Personal Secretary, driver gunned down Sri Lanka Daily News - November 15, 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, 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