Kethesh Loganathan
Encyclopedia
Kethesh Loganathan was a Sri Lanka
n Tamil political activist, a Human Rights
advocate and deputy secretary general of the Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process (SCOPP)
. He was among the fiercest critics of the ethnic separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, and the LTTE are widely blamed for his death. The group has neither accepted nor rejected the blame for his assassination.http://travel.nytimes.com/2006/11/26/world/asia/26lanka.html?fta=y
,though the Loganathan's family originally from Puloly-Vadamarachchi in Jaffna
, Sri Lanka. His father was prominent banker Chelliah Loganathan, the former General Manager of Bank of Ceylon
. He studied at St. Thomas’s College Mt. Lavinia and Loyola College, Madras before proceeding to Georgetown University
and later the Institute of Social Studies in The Hague
, Netherlands
. He got a sociology masters in development studies
.
. With the outbreak of the Sri Lankan civil war
in 1983, he joined the EPRLF, a Tamil militant group that eventually became a rival to the LTTE. Loganathan's role was essentially academic and political, rather than military, and he left the group in 1994. He continued to work as an author and journalist. He, along with his good friend Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu had helped form an independent think tank named the Center for Policy Alternatives and served on its board of directors till March, 2006.
grounds; he particularly criticized the rebels for their use of child soldiers
and intolerance of political dissent. In March 2006, President
Mahinda Rajapaksa
offered Loganathan the post of deputy secretary general of the government's peace secretariat.
and Nitharsanam announced his death before Kalubowila Hospital, where he was admitted after being shot, announced it. http://www.uthr.org/Statements/Ketheeswaran%20Loganathan%20Killed.htmhttp://www.nitharsanam.com/?art=20106 Soon after his death many commentators on the Sri Lankan civil war
, such as David Jeyaraj
, Dayan Jayatillake and Rajan Hoole
, concluded that Mr. K. Loganathan was killed by the LTTEhttp://transcurrents.com/tamiliana/archives/186. However, such a connection is denied by Nitharsanam.comhttp://www.nitharsanam.com/?page=xinfo.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
n Tamil political activist, a Human Rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
advocate and deputy secretary general of the Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process (SCOPP)
Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process (SCOPP)
Born out of a need to institutionalize the Peace Process, the Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process was established on 6 February 2002 with the approval of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Government of Sri Lanka . The Secretariat was headed by Bernard Goonetilleke , Jayantha Dhanapala ,...
. He was among the fiercest critics of the ethnic separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, and the LTTE are widely blamed for his death. The group has neither accepted nor rejected the blame for his assassination.http://travel.nytimes.com/2006/11/26/world/asia/26lanka.html?fta=y
Biography
Loganathan was born in ColomboColombo
Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...
,though the Loganathan's family originally from Puloly-Vadamarachchi in Jaffna
Jaffna
Jaffna is the capital city of the Northern Province, Sri Lanka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jaffna district located on a peninsula of the same name. Jaffna is approximately six miles away from Kandarodai which served as a famous emporium in the Jaffna peninsula from classical...
, Sri Lanka. His father was prominent banker Chelliah Loganathan, the former General Manager of Bank of Ceylon
Bank of Ceylon
Bank of Ceylon is a government-owned, major commercial bank in Sri Lanka. Its head office is located in iconic cylindrical building in the capital Colombo, the political and commercial capital of the islandThe bank has a network of 308 branches and 200+ extension centers covering all parts of the...
. He studied at St. Thomas’s College Mt. Lavinia and Loyola College, Madras before proceeding to Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
and later the Institute of Social Studies in The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. He got a sociology masters in development studies
Development studies
Development studies is a multidisciplinary branch of social science which addresses issues of concern to developing countries. It has historically placed a particular focus on issues related to social and economic development, and its relevance may therefore extend to communities and regions...
.
Political career
After completing his education, Loganathan returned to Sri Lanka and worked as a social science researcher and with Marga Institute in JaffnaJaffna
Jaffna is the capital city of the Northern Province, Sri Lanka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jaffna district located on a peninsula of the same name. Jaffna is approximately six miles away from Kandarodai which served as a famous emporium in the Jaffna peninsula from classical...
. With the outbreak of the Sri Lankan civil war
Sri Lankan civil war
The Sri Lankan Civil War was a conflict fought on the island of Sri Lanka. Beginning on July 23, 1983, there was an on-and-off insurgency against the government by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam , a separatist militant organization which fought to create an independent Tamil state named Tamil...
in 1983, he joined the EPRLF, a Tamil militant group that eventually became a rival to the LTTE. Loganathan's role was essentially academic and political, rather than military, and he left the group in 1994. He continued to work as an author and journalist. He, along with his good friend Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu had helped form an independent think tank named the Center for Policy Alternatives and served on its board of directors till March, 2006.
Human Rights advocacy
Loganathan was increasingly critical of the LTTE on human rightsHuman rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
grounds; he particularly criticized the rebels for their use of child soldiers
Military use of children
The military use of children takes three distinct forms: children can take direct part in hostilities , or they can be used in support roles such as porters, spies, messengers, look outs, and sexual slaves; or they can be used for political advantage either as human shields or in...
and intolerance of political dissent. In March 2006, President
President of Sri Lanka
The President of Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is the elected head of state and the head of government. The President is a dominant political figure in Sri Lanka. The office was created in 1978 but has grown so powerful there have been calls to restrict or even eliminate its power...
Mahinda Rajapaksa
Mahinda Rajapaksa
Percy Mahendra "Mahinda" Rajapaksa ; ; born November 18, 1945) is the 6th and current President of Sri Lanka and Commander in Chief of the Sri Lankan Armed Forces. A lawyer by profession, Rajapaksa was first elected to the Parliament of Sri Lanka in 1970, and served as prime minister from April 6,...
offered Loganathan the post of deputy secretary general of the government's peace secretariat.
The assassination
Loganathan was assassinated just outside his home by a single man who claimed himself a member of the "CID,"Criminal Investigation Department) according to his family members). Kethesh suffered a shot to the heart and a subsequent shot to the head. http://www.tamilcanadian.com/page.php?cat=131&id=4352. http://www.hinduonnet.com/2006/08/17/stories/2006081706820800.htmhttp://travel.nytimes.com/2006/11/26/world/asia/26lanka.html?fta=y Human Rights organizations such as Human Rights Watchhttp://www.hrw.org/english/docs/2006/09/19/slanka14219.htm, UTHRhttp://travel.nytimes.com/2006/11/26/world/asia/26lanka.html?fta=y and other Sri Lanka observers have held the LTTE responsible for this murder.http://www.asiantribune.com/index.php?q=node/1524Motive
The website Nitharsanam.com, which is connected with the LTTE, accused Ketheesh of being a traitor. TamilnetTamilnet
TamilNet is a news website that provides news and feature articles on current affairs in Sri Lanka, specifically related to the erstwhile Sri Lankan Civil War...
and Nitharsanam announced his death before Kalubowila Hospital, where he was admitted after being shot, announced it. http://www.uthr.org/Statements/Ketheeswaran%20Loganathan%20Killed.htmhttp://www.nitharsanam.com/?art=20106 Soon after his death many commentators on the Sri Lankan civil war
Sri Lankan civil war
The Sri Lankan Civil War was a conflict fought on the island of Sri Lanka. Beginning on July 23, 1983, there was an on-and-off insurgency against the government by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam , a separatist militant organization which fought to create an independent Tamil state named Tamil...
, such as David Jeyaraj
David Jeyaraj
David Buell Jeyaraj is a freelance Canadian journalist. His articles appear under the name D.B.S Jeyaraj, the initials stand for David Buell Sabapathy.- Biography :...
, Dayan Jayatillake and Rajan Hoole
Rajan Hoole
Michael Richard Ratnarajan Hoole known as Rajan Hoole is a Tamil Human Rights activist and a co founder, along with the late Ranjani Thiranagama, of University Teachers for Human Rights, Jaffna branch, while affiliated to the Department of Mathematics, University of Jaffna. He is the eldest son of...
, concluded that Mr. K. Loganathan was killed by the LTTEhttp://transcurrents.com/tamiliana/archives/186. However, such a connection is denied by Nitharsanam.comhttp://www.nitharsanam.com/?page=xinfo.
See also
- State terrorism in Sri LankaState terrorism in Sri LankaVarious non-governmental organizations and individuals have accused the Sri Lankan government of committing state terrorism. These claims allege that much of the Sri Lankan government's handling of insurgent groups dating from 1956, including the civil war against Tamil militant groups and the...
- Sri Lankan civil warSri Lankan civil warThe Sri Lankan Civil War was a conflict fought on the island of Sri Lanka. Beginning on July 23, 1983, there was an on-and-off insurgency against the government by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam , a separatist militant organization which fought to create an independent Tamil state named Tamil...
- Notable assassinations of the Sri Lankan Civil War