Kingsley Rasanayagam | |
|---|---|
| Member of Parliament forBatticaloa District | |
| In office 2 April 2004 – 18 May 2004 | |
| Succeeded by | Pakkiyaselvam Ariyanethiran |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1941 (1941) Kallaru,Batticaloa |
| Died | 19 October 2004(2004-10-19) (aged 62–63) Iruthayapuram,Batticaloa |
| Nationality | Sri Lankan |
| Political party | Tamil National Alliance |
| Profession | People's Bank employee |
Kingsley Rasanayagam (1941–2004) was aSri Lankan Tamilpolitician and formerMember of Parliament. In 2004 Rasanayagam was selected by theLiberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) as aTamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentary candidate.[1] He represented theBatticaloamulti-memberelectoral district for the TNA in theSri Lankan Parliament, for a short period of time betweenApril 2004 and May 2004. In May 2004, he was pressured to resign, by the LTTE because of his close relationship with former LTTE Eastern Province leaderVinayagamoorthy Muralitharanalias Karuna Amman. LTTE chiefVelupillai Prabhakaran feared that he would become a patron to the political party registered by Karuna Amman,Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP).
Kingsley Rasanayagam was born in Kallaru,Batticaloa. He was a Tamil Christian (Methodist). His father was a schoolmaster when he moved to the Batticaloa town at Kingsly's younger age.
Rasanayagam was involved inIllankai Tamil Arasu Kachchiaka Federal Party since his early days. He started playing a prominent role as a member of the Batticaloa citizens committee after 1983. He was a close associate of senior LTTE leader Kasi Anandan by theIndian Peace Keeping Force period during 1987–90. He resigned from Peoples' Bank and began working with theTamils Rehabilitation Organisation. After that, he became a trusted confidant of Karuna Amman.[2] With the help of Amman, Rasanayagam contested in 2004 Parliamentary elections and won. Because TNA salewarts likeJoseph Pararajasingham andPakkiyaselvam Ariyanethiran, failed to get selected in the election, LTTE pressurized Rasanayagam to resign though he stated it was for personal reasons.[3] He resigned from his parliamentary seat in May 2004.[4][5]
Around 6:20 p.m., 19 October 2004, he was shot dead by unidentified gunmen near Kalliyankaadu cemetery in Iruthayapuram within Batticaloa municipal limits.[6] DBS Jeyaraj blames the LTTE for his killing.
