Panagoda Maheswaran
Encyclopedia
Panagoda Maheswaran is a Sri Lankan Tamil militant
who founded and led the Tamil Eelam Army
. He studied chemical engineering from the University of London
and was an expert in explosives. His name Panagoda came as he was jailed in Panagoda Cantonment
in the outskirts of Colombo
, whence he made an audacious escape. He attempted to blow up an Air Lanka aircraft in 1984.
Sri Lankan Tamil militant groups
Sri Lankan Tamil militant groups rose to prominence in the 1970s to fight the state of Sri Lanka in order to create an independent Tamil Eelam in the north of Sri Lanka. They rose in response to the perception amongst minority Sri Lankan Tamils that the state was preferring the majority Sinhalese...
who founded and led the Tamil Eelam Army
Tamil Eelam Army
The Tamil Eelam Army is a defunct Tamil separatist group in Sri Lanka. It was founded by Panagoda Maheswaran. It was implicated in a bomb attack against a Sri Lankan airlines at Madras airport in India. It was disbanded after that incident.-See also:...
. He studied chemical engineering from the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
and was an expert in explosives. His name Panagoda came as he was jailed in Panagoda Cantonment
Panagoda Cantonment
Panagoda Cantonment is a cantonment located in the western Western Province of Sri Lanka. It serves as the regimental headquarters of many regiments of the Sri Lanka Army and is an arsenal. The 11 Division of the Sri Lanka Army is based at the Panagoda cantonment...
in the outskirts of Colombo
Colombo
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...
, whence he made an audacious escape. He attempted to blow up an Air Lanka aircraft in 1984.