Tamil National Alliance parliamentarian and activist Nadarajah Raviraj and his bodyguard are shot dead in Colombo.

“A prominent Tamil politician died in hospital after he was shot near his home in the Sri Lankan capital early Friday, a party member and a hospital official said. One of his guards was also killed. Nadaraja Raviraj, of the Tamil National Alliance was shot as he left his house in Colombo, said K. Sivajilingam, a fellow member of Parliament. Sivajilingam said that Raviraj also worked as a lawyer and was going to the court … when some people came and fired at him.” From: Tamil member of Parliament killed in Sri Lankan capital, International Herald Tribune, 10 November 2006.

Sources
Sri Lankan MP killed in Colombo, BBC, 10 November 2006; Prominent Tamil politician assassinated, Associated Press, 10 November 2006.

Nadarajah Raviraj: Assassination of an activist
In the spirit of citizen’s journalism, unionblackcolombo remembers his friend Raviraj.

Quotations

“Both sides, while talking peace, are engaged in other activities. The Sri Lankan government is involved in such activities. The LTTE is also acquiring arms and strengthening themselves. This is natural and is anticipated. The issue is how can we curtail it? If we are sincere in finding a solution to the ethnic problem by way of talks, we must sit together and thrash out the matter. After all this is a small country. The Tamil people and majority of the Sinhalese people know each other and are not communal minded. I am a person who is very close to the Sinhala people. I go for TV interviews with my broken Sinhalese not to gain political mileage – none of the Tamils watch those – but I go because I need to build an understanding with the Sinhalese and to tell them the plight of the Tamil people. If we work with a peace agenda we can definitely achieve peace,” Nadarajah Raviraj, from Begin talks without conditions, Sunday Leader, 24 September 2006.

“As a parliamentarian he worked tirelessly for the Tamil nation…He shattered the false propaganda of the Sinhala state infusing his arguments with his legal expertise. He stood firm and fought injustice in the face of threats from paramilitary violence. Mr Nadaraja Raviraj is a great man. He possessed rare characteristics. He is not the one to be pushed and pulled around for personal gains. He had a deep affection for the Tamil homeland and its people. He is an exceptional politician. He understood law and justice in its true sense. He possessed a progressive spirit and a desire to follow novel approaches. He was brave and he possessed a purity of heart. His youthful energy with all of the above stole the hearts of all who came in contact with him,” Vellupillai Prabhakaran, Leader LTTE.

“[The assassination] is one more reprehensible act by those opposed to dissent and political pluralism in a democratic society,” Mahinda Rajapakse, President of Sri Lanka

“It is government forces or forces aligned to the government, there can be no question. This is an attempt to stifle… and silence those who can justifiably espouse the Tamil cause,” R. Sampanthan, leader of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA).

“Raviraj functioned as a bridge to North and South. His murder is a challenge to people who voice for peace. Raviraj who also addressed the problems faced by the people of South, participated in many demonstrations organized on their interests. He had many Sinhala friends. He joined us in advocating the release of S.B. Disanayake. We see his loss as the same as late Vijaya Kumarathunghe,” Rajitha Senaratne, United National Party MP, Kalutura district.

Related events
5 January 2000
25 December 2005
12 August 2006
6 November 2006
6 March 2008

This event was the subject of a feature: Assassination of an activist.