Ariyanayagam Chandranehru (Tamil: அரியநாயகம் சந்திரநேரு; 15 October 1944 – 8 February 2005) was a Sri Lankan Tamil merchant seaman, politician and Member of Parliament.
A. Chandranehru | |
|---|---|
அ. சந்திரநேரு | |
 | |
| Member of Parliament for Ampara District | |
| In office 2001–2004 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 15 October 1944 |
| Died | 8 February 2005 (aged 60) Colombo, Sri Lanka |
| Manner of death | Assassination |
| Political party | Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi |
| Other political affiliations | Tamil National Alliance |
| Occupation | Merchant seaman |
| Ethnicity | Sri Lankan Tamil |
Early life and family
editChandranehru was born 15 October 1944.[3] He was from Thirukkovil in south-eastern Ceylon.[4] He was named after two leading Indian independence activists admired by his father – Subhas Chandra Bose and Jawaharlal Nehru.[4]
Chandranehru was the son of K. A. W. Ariyanayagam (Arappor Ariyanayagam), one of the founders of the Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (Federal Party).[4] Ariyanayagam was a follower of the Gandhiyam way of life and took part in the non-violent civil rights protests by Tamils in the 1950s and 1960s.[4] Chandranehru took part in the satyagrahas of 1956 and 1961.[4] However, he, like many young Tamils, became disillusioned with non-violent protests and began to support militant armed struggle.[4]
Chandranehru's family were protestant Christians and his brother Ruban was a Methodist pastor.[4] Chandranehru's son Chandrakanthan is a former Member of Parliament.[5]
Career
editChandranehru joined the public service, working at the fisheries department in Kalpitiya.[4] He then started working as a second officer on a Maldivian ship.[4] After six years he became captain of a ship.[4] In the mid 1980s, when he returned home for a holiday, he was arrested under the Prevention of Terrorism Act and detained at Boosa prison for more than a year.[4] This increased his support for achieving a separate Tamil state through armed struggle.[4] In the late 1990s he gave up shipping, returned home to Thirukkovil and became a businessman, buying several shops.[4]
Chandranehru contested the 2001 parliamentary election as one of the Tamil National Alliance's (TNA) candidates in Ampara District. He was elected and entered Parliament.[6] He failed to get re-elected at the 2004 parliamentary election after coming second amongst the TNA candidates.[7] Chandranehru and others founded NESOHR (North East Secretariat on Human Rights) on 9 July 2004.[8][9]
Assassination
editOn the night of 7 February 2005 Chandranehru, along with several members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), were travelling from Polonnaruwa to Thirukkovil along the Polonnaruwa-Batticaloa highway in a blue Toyota Dolphin van.[10][11][12] At around 7.45 pm, at Pillaiyaarady near Namalgama, 40 km north-west of Batticaloa and inside government controlled territory, their vehicle was overtaken by a white van, which had been following them, which then blocked the road.[10][11][13][2] Men dressed in military uniforms got out of the white van and ordered the occupants of Chandranehru's Dolphin van to get out.[13] The two police officers providing security for Chandranehru did not resist as the men were in military uniforms.[13] The men in military uniforms then started shooting at Chandranehru and his group. E. Kousalyan, the LTTE's political head for Batticaloa-Ampara District, and four other LTTE members (Nithimaran, Vinodhan, Kamalan and Kumanan) were killed.[11][12][14] Chandranehru was seriously injured in the attack and was taken to hospital in Colombo National Hospital but the following day (8) he died of his injuries.[11][12][15][16][17] The attack took place close to several Sri Lanka Army camps including Namalgama, Ruwanpitiya, Welikanda, Punanai and Kadwathmadu.[10][12][2][18] The assassination was blamed on the government backed Karuna paramilitary group and the Sri Lankan military.[19] The Tamil National Force, a TMVP (Karuna Group)/ENDLF front, claimed responsibility for the attack.[20]
On 12 February 2005 the LTTE conferred the title Maamanithar (great human being) on Chandranehru.[2][21][1]
Electoral history
edit| Election | Constituency | Party | Votes | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 parliamentary[6] | Ampara District | TNA | 26,282 | Elected |
| 2004 parliamentary[7] | Ampara District | TNA | 25,572 | Not elected |
References
edit- ^ a b Kamalendran, Chris (13 February 2005). "Army sentry points attacked in day of hartal, high drama". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka).
- ^ a b c d Jeyaraj, D. B. S. (20 February 2005). "Chandranehru: patriot of the east". The Sunday Leader.
- ^ "Directory of Members: Ariyanayagam Chandra Nehru". Parliament of Sri Lanka.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Jeyaraj, D. B. S. (13 February 2005). "Chandranehru: Patriotic son of the eastern soil". The Sunday Leader.
- ^ "Chandrakanthan sworn in as TNA national list parliamentarian". TamilNet. 27 September 2006.
- ^ a b "General Election 2001 Preferences" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2010.
- ^ a b "General Election 2004 Preferences" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2010.
- ^ "Nehru, a fearless Human Rights campaigner- NESOHR". TamilNet. 13 February 2005.
- ^ "HR Group meets to finalize Charter". TamilNet. 1 August 2004.
- ^ a b c Kamalendran, Chris (13 February 2005). "'We have been hit by another tsunami'". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka).
- ^ a b c d "Killing raises Sri Lanka war fear". BBC News. 8 February 2005.
- ^ a b c d "Kousalyan killed in ambush". TamilNet. 7 February 2005.
- ^ a b c "Kousalyan's body released after 19-hour delay". TamilNet. 8 February 2005.
- ^ Warnakulasuriya, Asanga (9 February 2005). "Former TULF member injured in ambush dies". Daily News (Sri Lanka).
- ^ "Wounded ex-TNA MP dies". TamilNet. 8 February 2005.
- ^ "Chandra Nehru succumbs to injuries". The Island (Sri Lanka). 9 February 2005.
- ^ "Sri Lankan parliament in uproar amid Tamil MP protest". The Sydney Morning Herald. Associated Press. 10 February 2005.
- ^ Sambandan, V. S. (10 February 2005). "Kousalyan's death rocks Parliament". The Hindu.[dead link]
- ^ Jeyaraj, D. B. S. (16 March 2008). "Assassinating Tamil Parliamentarians: The unceasing waves". The Nation (Sri Lanka). Archived from the original on 20 February 2014. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
- ^ Sambandan, V. S. (11 February 2005). "Tamil National Force claims responsibility for Kousalyan's murder". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 17 January 2016.
- ^ "Pirapaharan honours slain TNA MP". TamilNet. 12 February 2005.