| File:A. Chandranehru.jpg
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| Born | 1944-10-15
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|---|---|
| Died | Template:Death date and age |
| Place of death | Colombo, Sri Lanka
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| Political party | Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi
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| Occupation | Merchant seaman
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Ariyanayagam Chandranehru (Template:Lang-ta; 15 October 1944 – 8 February 2005) was a Sri Lankan Tamil merchant seaman, politician and Member of Parliament.
Early life and family
Chandranehru was born 15 October 1944.[1] He was from Thirukkovil in south-eastern Ceylon.[2] He was named after two leading Indian independence activists admired by his father – Subhas Chandra Bose and Jawaharlal Nehru.[2]
Chandranehru was the son of K. A. W. Ariyanayagam (Arappor Ariyanayagam), one of the founders of the Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (Federal Party).[2] 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.[2] Chandranehru took part in the satyagrahas of 1956 and 1961.[2] However, he, like many young Tamils, became disillusioned with non-violent protests and began to support militant armed struggle.[2]
Chandranehru's family were protestant Christians and his brother Ruban was a Methodist pastor.[2] Chandranehru's son Chandrakanthan is a former Member of Parliament.[3]
Career
Chandranehru joined the public service, working at the fisheries department in Kalpitiya.[2] He then started working as a second officer on a Maldivian ship.[2] After six years he became captain of a ship.[2] 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.[2] This increased his support for achieving a separate Tamil state through armed struggle.[2] In the late 1990s he gave up shipping, returned home to Thirukkovil and became a businessman, buying several shops.[2]
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.[4] He failed to get re-elected at the 2004 parliamentary election after coming second amongst the TNA candidates.[5] Chandranehru and others founded NESOHR (North East Secretariat on Human Rights) on 9 July 2004.[6][7]
On 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.[8][9][10] 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.[8][9][11][12] Men dressed in military uniforms got out of the white van and ordered the occupants of Chandranehru's Dolphin van to get out.[11] The two police officers providing security for Chandranehru did not resist as the men were in military uniforms.[11] 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.[9][10][13] 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.[9][10][14][15][16] The attack took place close to several Sri Lanka Army camps including Namalgama, Ruwanpitiya, Welikanda, Punanai and Kadwathmadu.[8][10][12][17] The assassination was blamed on the government backed Karuna paramilitary group and the Sri Lankan military.[18] The Tamil National Force, a TMVP (Karuna Group)/ENDLF front, claimed responsibility for the attack.[19]
On 12 February 2005 the LTTE conferred the title Maamanithar (great human being) on Chandranehru.[12][20][21]
Electoral history
| Election | Constituency | Party | Votes | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 parliamentary[4] | Ampara District | TNA | Template:Nts | Elected |
| 2004 parliamentary[5] | Ampara District | TNA | Template:Nts | Not elected |
References
- ↑ Directory of Members: Ariyanayagam Chandra Nehru. Parliament of Sri Lanka.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 Chandranehru: Patriotic son of the eastern soil. The Sunday Leader(13 February 2005).
- ↑ Chandrakanthan sworn in as TNA national list parliamentarian. TamilNet(27 September 2006).
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 General Election 2001 Preferences. Department of Elections, Sri Lanka.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 General Election 2004 Preferences. Department of Elections, Sri Lanka.
- ↑ Nehru, a fearless Human Rights campaigner- NESOHR. TamilNet(13 February 2005).
- ↑ HR Group meets to finalize Charter. TamilNet(1 August 2004).
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 ‘We have been hit by another tsunami’. The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka)(13 February 2005).
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Killing raises Sri Lanka war fear. BBC News(8 February 2005).
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Kousalyan killed in ambush. TamilNet(7 February 2005).
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Kousalyan's body released after 19-hour delay. TamilNet(8 February 2005).
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Chandranehru: patriot of the east. The Sunday Leader(20 February 2005).
- ↑ Former TULF member injured in ambush dies. Daily News (Sri Lanka)(9 February 2005).
- ↑ 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(10 February 2005).
- ↑ Kousalyan's death rocks Parliament. The Hindu(10 February 2005).Template:Dead linkTemplate:Cbignore
- ↑ Assassinating Tamil Parliamentarians: The unceasing waves. The Nation (Sri Lanka)(16 March 2008). Retrieved 20 December 2015.
- ↑ Tamil National Force claims responsibility for Kousalyan's murder. The Hindu(11 February 2005).
- ↑ Pirapaharan honours slain TNA MP. TamilNet(12 February 2005).
- ↑ Army sentry points attacked in day of hartal, high drama. The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka)(13 February 2005).
Template:Members of the 12th Parliament of Sri Lanka Template:Sri Lankan Civil War