Sri Lankan politician and lawyer (1933–2024)
Rajavarothiam Sampanthan (Tamil :இராஜவரோதயம் சம்பந்தன் ;Sinhala :රාජවරෝදියම් සම්බන්දන් ; 5 February 1933 – 30 June 2024) was a Sri Lankan politician and lawyer who led theTamil National Alliance from 2001 until his death in 2024. He was one of the longest serving Member of Parliament in the country, serving as an MP from 2001 until his death, and previously from 1977 to 1983 and from 1997 to 2000. He was theLeader of the Opposition from September 2015 to December 2018.[ 1] [ 2] [ 3]
Sampanthan was born on 5 February 1933.[ 4] [ 5] [ 5] S. Sivapalan andN. R. Rajavarothiam both of whom were MPs for Trincomalee.[ 6] St. Patrick's College, Jaffna ,St. Anne's College, Kurunegala ,St. Joseph's College, Trincomalee andSt. Sebastian's College, Moratuwa .[ 5] [ 6] Ceylon Law College , graduating as anattorney at law .[ 5] [ 6] practised law inTrincomalee .[ 6]
Sampanthan married Leeladevi, daughter of P. K. Rudra.[ 5] [ 5] [ 3]
U. S. Secretary of State John Kerry meets Sampanthan in May 2015.Sampanthan joined theIllankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (Federal Party) in 1956.[ 4] [ 5] S. J. V. Chelvanayakam offered Sampanthan nomination in 1963 and 1970 but Sampanthan declined.[ 6]
On 14 May 1972, the ITAK,All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC),Ceylon Workers' Congress , Eelath Thamilar Otrumai Munnani and All Ceylon Tamil Conference formed theTamil United Front , later renamedTamil United Liberation Front (TULF).[ 7] [ 8] [ 9] [ 10] Trincomalee at the1977 parliamentary election . He won the election and enteredParliament .[ 11] Sri Lankan Tamil militants not to stay in Parliament beyond their normal six-year term; the Sixth Amendment to theConstitution of Sri Lanka required them to swear an oath unconditionally renouncing support for aseparate state . After three months of absence, Sampanthan forfeited his seat in Parliament on 7 September 1983.[ 12] [ 4]
Sampanthan was one of theENDLF /EPRLF /TELO /TULF alliance's candidates in theTrincomalee District at the1989 parliamentary election but the alliance failed to win any seats in the district.[ 13] [ 14] 1994 parliamentary election but failed to get re-elected after coming second amongst the TULF candidates.[ 15] A. Thangathurai on 5 July 1997.[ 16] [ 17] 2000 parliamentary election but the TULF failed to win any seats in the district.[ 18] [ 19] [ 20]
On 20 October 2001, the ACTC,Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front ,Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization and TULF formed theTamil National Alliance (TNA).[ 21] [ 22] 2001 parliamentary election as one of the TNA's candidates in Trincomalee District. He was elected and re-entered Parliament.[ 23]
Soon after its formation, the TNA began to take a more pro-Tamil Tiger stance, recognising the Tigers as the sole representative of the Sri Lankan Tamils. This caused a split within the TULF. Some members of the TULF, led by its presidentV. Anandasangaree , opposed to the Tigers. Anandasangaree refused to allow the TNA to use the TULF name during the 2004 parliamentary election.[ 24] Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi political party.[ 25] [ 26] [ 27]
Sampanthan was re-elected in the2004 ,2010 and2015 parliamentary elections.[ 28] [ 29] [ 30] [ 31] [ 32] 2015 Sri Lankan presidential election , the TNA, under his leadership, decided to backMaithripala Sirisena as the common opposition candidate.[ 33] Mahinda Rajapaksa . Following the2015 Sri Lankan parliamentary election , theSpeaker of the Parliament recognised Sampanthan asLeader of the Opposition on 3 September 2015.[ 34] [ 35] [ 36]
^ "Sampanthan Chosen As New Leader Of The Opposition" . Colombo Telegraph. 3 September 2015.Archived from the original on 6 September 2015. Retrieved3 September 2015 .^ "Ethnic Tamil lawmaker becomes opposition leader in Sri Lanka for first time in decades" .Fox News . 3 September 2015. Retrieved3 September 2015 .^a b "Former TNA Leader R. Sampanthan no more" .Archived from the original on 30 June 2024. Retrieved11 January 2025 .^a b c "Directory of Members: Rajavarothiam Sampanthan" .Parliament of Sri Lanka .Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved11 July 2015 .^a b c d e f g Arumugam, S. (1997).Dictionary of Biography of the Tamils of Ceylon (PDF) . pp. 173– 174.Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 October 2022. Retrieved11 July 2015 .^a b c d e "Who is Rajavarothayam Sampanthan" .Sunday Observer (Sri Lanka) Archived from the original on 3 February 2020. Retrieved20 April 2024 .^ Ross, Russell R.; Savada, Andrea Matles, eds. (1990).Sri Lanka : A Country Study (PDF) .Library of Congress . p. 51.Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 February 2015. Retrieved11 July 2015 . ^ Chattopadhyaya, Haraprasad (1994).Ethnic Unrest in Modern Sri Lanka: An Account of Tamil-Sinhalese Race Relations ISBN 81-85880-52-2 ^ Amarasinghe, Samanga (2011).Independence to Referendum ISBN 978-1-105-01908-1 ^ Rajasingham, K. T. "Chapter 23: Srimavo's constitutional promiscuity".Sri Lanka: The Untold Story ^a b "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1977" (PDF) . Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived fromthe original (PDF) on 17 July 2011.^ Wickramasinghe, Wimal (18 January 2008)."Saga of crossovers, expulsions and resignations etc. Referendum for extention [sic ] of Parliament" .The Island (Sri Lanka) the original on 17 June 2011. Retrieved17 July 2011 . ^ "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1989" (PDF) . Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived fromthe original (PDF) on 4 March 2009.^a b de Silva, W. P. P.; Ferdinando, T. C. L.9th Parliament of Sri Lanka (PDF) .Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited . p. 182. Archived fromthe original (PDF) on 23 June 2015. ^ "Trinco awaits nomination" .The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka) Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved5 September 2015 .^ "TNA's Sampanthan is 2nd Tamil to be Leader of Opposition" .Ceylon Today Press Association . 4 September 2015. p. A4.Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved5 September 2015 .^ Ramakrishnan, T. (3 September 2015)."TNA's Sampanthan becomes opposition leader in Sri Lankan parliament" .The Hindu Archived from the original on 26 July 2020. Retrieved5 September 2015 . ^ Ferdinando, Shamindra (8 October 2000)."Sampanthan asks police to probe Mahindapura massacre" .The Island (Sri Lanka) Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved5 September 2015 . ^ "TULF candidates for Trincomalee decided" .TamilNet Archived from the original on 1 July 2024. Retrieved5 September 2015 .^ "Parliamentary General Election 10.10.2000 – Trincomalee District" . Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived fromthe original on 5 August 2012.^ Jeyaraj, D. B. S."Tamil National Alliance enters critical third phase – 1" .The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka) the original on 4 April 2010. ^ "Tamil parties sign MOU" .TamilNet Archived from the original on 28 October 2021. Retrieved11 July 2015 .^a b "General Election 2001 Preferences" (PDF) . Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived fromthe original (PDF) on 24 September 2015.^ "Objection against TNA using HOUSE symbol rejected" .TamilNet . 28 February 2004.Archived from the original on 1 March 2010. Retrieved28 February 2010 .^ Jeyaraj, D. B. S. (18 May 2013)."Tamil National Alliance Faces Acute Political Crisis" .The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka) Archived from the original on 2 July 2022. Retrieved11 July 2015 . ^ "Mavai elected as ITAK's new leader" .The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka) Archived from the original on 1 July 2024. Retrieved30 August 2015 .^ "Mavai replaces Sampanthan as ITAK leader" .Tamil Guardian Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved30 August 2015 .^a b "General Election 2004 Preferences" (PDF) . Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived fromthe original (PDF) on 4 March 2010.^a b "Parliamentary General Election – 2010 Trincomalee Preferences" (PDF) . Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived fromthe original (PDF) on 13 May 2010.^ "PART I : SECTION (I) — GENERAL Government Notifications PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS ACT, No. 1 OF 1981" (PDF) .The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Extraordinary . 1928/03. 19 August 2015. Archived fromthe original (PDF) on 23 September 2015.^ "Ranil tops with over 500,000 votes in Colombo" .The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka) Archived from the original on 1 November 2021. Retrieved19 August 2015 .^ "Preferential Votes" .Daily News (Sri Lanka) the original on 20 August 2015.^ Srinivasan, Meera (3 January 2018)."We can't despair, we can't abandon things, says Sri Lanka's R. Sampanthan" .The Hindu .ISSN 0971-751X .Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved4 August 2019 . ^ "Sampanthan new opposition leader" .The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka) Archived from the original on 7 November 2015. Retrieved5 September 2015 .^ "R. Sampanthan appointed Opposition Leader" .The Nation (Sri Lanka) Archived from the original on 27 September 2015. Retrieved5 September 2015 .^ "Tamil MP Sampanthan to lead Sri Lanka opposition" .BBC News Archived from the original on 21 November 2016. Retrieved21 June 2018 .^ "Sampanthan for Trinco" .The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka) Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved5 September 2015 .^ Jayakody, Pradeep (28 August 2015)."The Comparison of Preferential Votes in 2015 & 2010" .The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka) Archived from the original on 30 August 2015. Retrieved30 August 2015 . ^ "District Results – Trincomalee – Final" .Ada Derana . 5 August 2020.Archived from the original on 25 February 2024. Retrieved1 July 2024 .
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