Nadarajah Raviraj | |
|---|---|
நடராஜா ரவிராஜ் | |
 | |
| Member of Parliament forJaffna District | |
| In office 2001–2006 | |
| Succeeded by | N. Srikantha |
| 16th Mayor of Jaffna | |
| In office 9 January 2001 – 18 December 2001 | |
| Preceded by | Pon Sivapalan |
| Succeeded by | Sellan Kandaiyan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1962-06-25)25 June 1962 Chavakachcheri,Ceylon[4] |
| Died | 10 November 2006(2006-11-10) (aged 44) Colombo, Sri Lanka |
| Nationality | Sri Lankan |
| Political party | Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi |
| Other political affiliations | Tamil National Alliance |
| Profession | Lawyer |
Nadarajah Raviraj (Tamil:நடராஜா ரவிராஜ்,romanized: naṭarājā ravirāj,[n̪aɖaˈɾaːdʑaːˈɾaʋiɾaːdʑ]; 25 June 1962 – 10 November 2006) was a Sri Lankan lawyer and politician who served asMayor of Jaffna in 2001 and a Member of Parliament forJaffna District from 2001 to 2006. A member of theTamil National Alliance, he was shot dead on 10 November 2006 inColombo.
Nadarajah Raviraj was born 25 June 1962.[5][6] His family were fromChavakachcheri in northernCeylon.[7] Both of his parents were teachers – his father taught atChavakachcheri Hindu College and his mother taught at Chavakachcheri Hindu Ladies College.[7][8] Raviraj was educated at Chavakachcheri Hindu College, Drieberg College, Chavakachcheri andSt. John's College, Jaffna.[6][8]
Raviraj was married to Sasikala, a teacher atBishop's College, Colombo.[7][9] They had a daughter (Praveena) and son (Yuthishthran).[7][10]
Raviraj became anattorney at law of the Supreme Court in November 1987.[6][9] He was ahuman rights lawyer forHome for Human Rights from 1984 to 1990.[9] He worked at theAttorney-General's Department between 1990 and 1993.[11] He rejoined Home for Human Rights in 1993, working for them until 1997.[8][9][11] He then started aprivate practice firm, Raviraj and Associates, which specialised inPrevention of Terrorism Act and Emergency Regulations cases.[6][8][9][11] Raviraj represented clients in theSupreme Court,Court of Appeal andHigh Courts inAmpara,Batticaloa,Jaffna,Trincomalee,Vavuniya and other cities.[9]
Raviraj was a member of the Civil Monitoring Committee which monitoredextra-judicial killings, abductions and disappearances in Sri Lanka.[6][9] He was an ambassador of peace for theInterreligious and International Federation for World Peace and Interreligious International Peace Council in 2004.[6]
Raviraj joined theTamil United Liberation Front (TULF) in 1987, joining its central committee in 1990 and becoming its legal advisor in 1998.[6][9] He contested the1998 local government election as a TULF candidate and was elected toJaffna Municipal Council.[7][8] The TULFMayor of JaffnaSarojini Yogeswaran wasassassinated on 17 May 1998 and her successorPon Sivapalan was assassinated on 11 September 1998.[7][12][13] Following the assassination of its mayoral nominee Pon Mathimugarajah on 26 December 1998, the TULF decided not to appoint a mayor which resulted in Raviraj, who was deputy mayor, becomingde facto mayor.[7][14]
Raviraj was appointed to the TULFpolitburo in 2000.[6][9] He contested the2000 parliamentary election as one of the TULF's candidates inJaffna District but failed to get elected.[7][8] On 9 January 2001 Raviraj was officially sworn in as Mayor of Jaffna.[7][15] He became the TULF's Administrative Secretary in 2001.[7]
On 20 October 2001 theAll Ceylon Tamil Congress,Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front,Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization and TULF formed theTamil National Alliance (TNA).[16][17] Raviraj contested the2001 parliamentary election as one of the TNA's candidates in Jaffna District. On 28 November 2001 the TNA, including Raviraj, were campaigning in Naranthanai onVelanaitivu when they were attacked by theEelam People's Democratic Party, a government backed paramilitary group, asSri Lanka Navy personnel looked on.[7][8][18] Two TNA activists were killed and several others, including Raviraj, were injured.[7][8][19] Raviraj was elected and enteredParliament.[20] He subsequently resigned as Mayor of Jaffna.[7] He was re-elected at the2004 parliamentary election.[21]
On 9 November 2006, Raviraj led a demonstration outside theUNICEF office in Colombo protesting against theVaharai bombing in which 45 civilians were killed by armyshelling.[22][23] The following morning Raviraj took part in alive discussion onTV Derana between 7.00am and 7.30am.[7][24] Afterwards he returned to his home in Manning Town,Narahenpita, had breakfast and changed for work.[7][24] Raviraj had to drive to work himself as his driver was on leave.[7][24] He had intended to use his wife's car but finding its battery drained got into hisToyota Land Cruiser Prado (reg WP KE 1279).[7][24] Raviraj's police bodyguard Sergeant Lokuwellamurage Shantha Laxman Lokuwella got onto the passenger seat.[7][24] At 8.39am, as Raviraj was slowly driving down Martha Road and turning into Elvitigala Mawatha, when a motorcycle (reg JE 3507) coming from the opposite direction stopped nearby.[7][24] The motorcycle's pillion rider got down, removed his helmet, crossed the road and waited on the pavement with a bag over his shoulder.[7][24] As Raviraj's vehicle went past, the waiting pillion rider ripped open the shoulder bag and fired theT-56 rifle hidden inside.[7][24] Raviraj's vehicle was hit from the front, side and rear atpoint blank range.[7][24] After firing an entiremagazine the assassin ran back to the motorcycle which then sped off, turning on Martha Road.[7][24] The shoulder bag, with the T-56 inside, and the assassin's helmet were left at the roadside.[7][24] According to the police arickshaw parked nearby also drove off after the shooting.[7][24] They believed that its driver had been alookout who had tipped off the assassins about the location of Raviraj's vehicle using a mobile phone.[7][24]
Raviraj had been shot five times and Lokuwella eight times.[7][24] Both were rushed toColombo National Hospital where Lokuwella was pronounceddead on arrival.[7][24] Raviraj wasclinically dead and emergency surgery was carried out but at 9.20am he was pronounced dead.[7][24] On 10 November 2006 the LTTE conferred the titleMaamanithar (great human being) on Raviraj.[24][25][26][27] Raviraj's body had to be flown to northern Sri Lanka because the Sri Lankan government refused to open theA9 highway.[24] Raviraj's funeral took place on 15 November 2006 at the Kannadipiddy cremation ground in Chavakachcheri.[24][28]
Raviraj's assassination received condemnation from around the world.[24][26][29][30][31][32] The TNA blamed the assassination on paramilitaries working with thearmy.[9][24][33] TheUniversity Teachers for Human Rights (UTHR) quoted sources as saying that the main organiser of the assassination was formerair force member Nishantha Gajanayake, an employee of defence secretaryGotabhaya Rajapaksa, brother ofPresidentMahinda Rajapaksa.[34] The UTHR further claimed that the assassination was carried out by theKaruna Group/Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP) with the assistance of theEelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP) paramilitary group,military intelligence and a Buddhist monk affiliated with theJathika Hela Urumaya.[34][35] EPDP leaderDouglas Devanananda denied any involvement in the assassination.[36]
A shadowy anti-LTTE group calling itself Seerum Padai (Aggressive Army) claimed responsibility for the assassination, saying that it was a "serious message to those who betray our homeland".[37][38][39]
Raviraj's assassination took place in the heart ofColombo near a security force base and on a stretch of road betweenpolice checkpoints.[7] Several government buildings including the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, the Registrar of Motor Vehicles Department and the headquarters of theSri Lanka Corps of Military Police were close by.[7][24][40] According to thepolice many people witnessed the assassination and came forward to give information.[24] A suspect was arrested inWellawatte on 12 November 2006 and based on information provided by him seven further suspects were arrested inBorella,Cinnamon Gardens,Narahenpita andWellawatte.[24]
Detectives from the BritishMetropolitan Police Service were brought in to investigate the assassination.[24][41] After initial reservations about the possibility that the suspects may face thedeath penalty, five British detectives arrived in Sri Lanka on 4 January 2007 to assist the Sri LankanCriminal Investigation Department (CID).[42][43] After sharing their expertise, the British detectives left Sri Lanka on 13 January 2007, taking some evidence for further forensic tests.[44][45]
The police investigation found that the motorcycle used in the assassination had been bought by Arul from brokers Nalaka Mathakadeera (Matagaweere) and Ravindra.[46] Arul had been living at the house of S. K. T. Jayasuriya.[46] Jayasuriya was former soldier, who had been dismissed from the army, who was now working as a private security officer for a former EPDP Member of Parliament who was living in Switzerland.[47] Mathakadeera and Jayasuriya were arrested but both were later released onbail when investigations revealed that they were not in Colombo at the time of the assassination.[46] Jayasuriya informed the police that Arul was aformer member of themilitantLiberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.[46] Arul was also a nephew of the former EPDP and was receiving protection from Jayasuriya.[47]Arrest warrants were issued for Arul and Ravindra whom the police suspected had fled to LTTE controlled territory.[46] The investigation stalled thereafter and no progress was made.[46]
Following the defeat of Rajapaksa at thepresidential election in January 2015, thenew government announced that it would re-investigate several unsolved high profile assassinations, including that of Raviraj, which occurred during Rajapaksa's nine-year reign.[48] Three navy personnel (Lt. Commander Munasinghe Aarachchige Don Nishantha Sampath Munasinghe, Lt. Commander Hettiarachchi Mudiyanselage Prasad Chandana Kumara Hettiarachchi alias Sampath and Petty Officer Deliwala Gedara Gamini Seneviratne alias Senevi) were arrested by the CID in March 2015 in connection with Raviraj's assassination.[49][50][51][52] A total of nine suspects were listed in connection with the assassination.[53] The rickshaw involved in the assassination was recovered by the CID in June 2015.[54] In November 2015 former soldier Nalaka Mathakadeera, J. L. Mahinda and Tennis Aruna Shantha Edirisinghe were arrested in connection with the assassination.[51]
In October 2015The Sunday Leader identified Petty Officer Seneviratne as the assassin and claimed that the weapon used in the assassination had been handed to thePillayan, leader of the TMVP paramilitary group, by Colonel Shammi Karunaratne of the army.[55] Pillayan then gave the weapon to Sivakanthan Vivekanandan alias Charan who then handed it to Seneviratne.[55]
On 3 November 2015 six people – three navy personnel (Pradeep Chaminda (Chandane) alias Vajira, Lieutenant Commander Hettiarachchi and Petty Officer Seneviratne), two Karuna Group/TMVP paramilitaries (Palanasami Suresh alias Sami and Sivakanthan Vivekanandan) and a police officer (Fabian Royston Toussaint) – were charged with Raviraj's murder.[56][57] A fourth navy personnel, Lieutenant Commander Munasinghe Arachchige Nilantha Sampath Munasinghe alias Navy Sampath, was charged in December 2015.[58] Three of the seven charged, Suresh, Toussaint and Vivekanandan, are not in custody.[58] Toussaint is believed to be running an eco-consultancy business, Eco Support Consulting, in Australia.[59] Vivekanandan is believed to be in Switzerland.[51]
Two suspects in the case, Nalaka Mathakadeera and Tennis Aruna Shantha Edirisinghe, were released by Colombo Additional Magistrate Nirosha Fernando on 8 December 2015.[60] Another suspect, former Police Constable Sampath Prithiviraj Wijeya Wickrema Manamperige Sanjaya Preethi Viraj, had turned state witness.[60][61]
The trial of the six suspects (Chaminda, Hettiarachchi, Seneviratne, Suresh, Toussaint and Vivekanandan) began on 7 September 2016 at Colombo High Court in front of Judge Manilal Waidyatilaka.[62] On 27 October 2016 Waidyatilaka allowed the defendants' attorney's request for the case to be heard by a jury consisting exclusively ofSinhala speakers.[63][64] This was despite objections from lawyers representing Raviraj's family.[65][66][67] Police Constable Viraj, the state witness, was released on 22 December 2016.[68][69] On 24 December 2016 the all Sinhala jury unanimously acquitted all five defendants who were subsequently released.[70][71][72] In an unusual move, the verdict came shortly after midnight.[73][74]
| Election | Constituency | Party | Votes | Result |
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| 1998 local | Jaffna MC | TULF | Elected | |
| 2000 parliamentary | Jaffna District | TULF | Not elected | |
| 2001 parliamentary[20] | Jaffna District | TNA | 19,263 | Elected |
| 2004 parliamentary[21] | Jaffna District | TNA | 42,965 | Elected |
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