T. Maheswaran
T. Maheswaran ( Thiyagarajah Maheswaran ; born June 18, 1960 in Jaffna , † January 1, 2008 in Colombo ) was a Sri Lankan politician of Tamil ethnicity.
Political career
Maheswaran was a Member of the Sri Lankan Parliament for Jaffna. There he belonged to the opposition United National Party (UNP) and was a critic of the Mahinda Rajapaksa government's war against Tamil rebels. Previously he was Minister for Hindu Affairs.
In 2004 he escaped an attack on the last day of the Colombo election campaign; on January 1, 2008, he was shot dead. In a television interview with the broadcaster Shakthi, he reported on the murders, extortion, kidnapping and human rights violations in the Tamil areas. Maheswaran had said in the interview that after parliamentary sessions resumed on January 8th, he would submit a report on the involvement of people brought from Colombo to Jaffna in connection with kidnappings and murders of Tamils. Hours earlier, the MP said he would reveal details of how kidnappings and killings in Jaffna are being carried out by the Singalese Sri Lankan establishment through the paramilitary EPDP. Eleven days earlier, the Sri Lankan government reduced the number of MP's security guards from 18 to 2.
attack
The attack took place in a Hindu temple in Kochchikkadai, a district in Kotehena. Maheswaran was admitted to the city hospital in Colombo with serious injuries and died there. The attacker was gunned down by bodyguards and taken to the same hospital.
Maheswaran left a wife and three children.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Reuter News (English page)
- ↑ Hindustan Times (English page)
- ↑ http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601091&sid=a3chF8Urru5c&refer=india
- ↑ TamilNet News (German page) ( Memento of the original from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Maheswaran, T. |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Maheswaran, Thiagarajah |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Sri Lankan politician |
DATE OF BIRTH | June 18, 1960 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Jaffna |
DATE OF DEATH | January 1, 2008 |
Place of death | Colombo |