Tamil National Alliance
Encyclopedia
The Tamil National Alliance ( ISO 15919
: tamiḻt tēciyakkūṭṭamaippu) is a powerful minority
Sri Lankan Tamil political alliance
in Sri Lanka
. It was formed as an amalgamation of moderate Tamil parties as well as number of former rebel groups
. It has participated in elections since 2001.
The alliance originally supported self-determination in an autonomous state for the island's Tamils, but dropped the demand for an independent state in 2010, saying that it is ready to accept regional self-rule.
The party supported negotiations with the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
to resolve the civil war
in Sri Lanka. Three of its sitting Members of Parliament, Kiddinan Sivanesan, Joseph Pararajasingham
and Nadarajah Raviraj
have been assassinated since 2006, allegedly by the Sri Lankan government.
, and consisted of:
The TULF and ACTC have since left the TNA. Some members of the TULF who wanted to remain in the TNA have resurrected the Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi
which is now a constituent party of the TNA.
s since 2001. In general the policies are based on the what is known as the Thimpu principles
amongst Sri Lankan Tamil nationalists. They are
Further the alliance stands for
(ISGA) proposal made by the LTTE. The alliance in general facilitated the eventual peace talks between the government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE directly over the Tamil national problem.
. A local human right organization, University Teachers for Human Rights
(UTHR), claimed that they were near certain that Gotabhaya Rajapaksa
, current Permanent Secretary
to the Ministry of Defence
of the Government of Sri Lanka, was involved in the assassination. Further, it claimed that one Gajanayake, whose forces work under the Ministry of Defence
, was the main organiser behind the assassination. The Sri Lankan government denied responsibility and strongly condemned his killing.
In the murder of Joseph Pararajasingham
, UTHR report claimed the pro government Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal a splinter group from LTTE that is headed by one Karuna
and Eelam Peoples Democratic Party headed by Douglas Devananda
, para military cadres were responsible for the murder.
K. Sivanesan
the third M.P. was killed on March 6, 2008 by a roadside bomb near Killinochchi in LTTE controlled area in northern Sri Lanka while he was returning to his house in Mallaavi. The LTTE and other TNA
MPs alleged that it was carried out by a Sri Lanka Army Deep Penetration Unit
, the Army has denied the allegation. K. Sivanesan had alleged that he had been harassed by Sri Lankan Army earlier.
Further Ariyanayagam Chandra Nehru
a founder member of the pro-LTTE http://www.thebottomline.lk/2008/04/23/DBS%20COLL.htm NorthEast Secretariat on Human Rights (NESHOR) and also a former Member of Parliament of Tamil National Alliance elected from Amparai in Eastern Sri Lanka was ambushed and killed on February 7, 2005. The government had denied any responsibility, however the family and TNA blame SLA
ISO 15919
ISO 15919 Transliteration of Devanagari and related Indic scripts into Latin characters is an international standard for the transliteration of Indic scripts to the Latin alphabet formed in 2001...
: tamiḻt tēciyakkūṭṭamaippu) is a powerful minority
Minority group
A minority is a sociological group within a demographic. The demographic could be based on many factors from ethnicity, gender, wealth, power, etc. The term extends to numerous situations, and civilizations within history, despite the misnomer of minorities associated with a numerical statistic...
Sri Lankan Tamil political alliance
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in Sri Lanka
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...
. It was formed as an amalgamation of moderate Tamil parties as well as number of former rebel groups
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...
. It has participated in elections since 2001.
The alliance originally supported self-determination in an autonomous state for the island's Tamils, but dropped the demand for an independent state in 2010, saying that it is ready to accept regional self-rule.
The party supported negotiations with the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam was a separatist militant organization formerly based in northern Sri Lanka. Founded in May 1976 by Vellupillai Prabhakaran, it waged a violent secessionist and nationalist campaign to create an independent state in the north and east of Sri Lanka for Tamil...
to resolve the 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 Sri Lanka. Three of its sitting Members of Parliament, Kiddinan Sivanesan, Joseph Pararajasingham
Joseph Pararajasingham
Joseph Pararajasingham was a Sri Lankan Member of Parliament and a poet who was known for his pro-Tamil Tiger views and advocacy of human rights...
and Nadarajah Raviraj
Nadarajah Raviraj
Nadarajah Raviraj was a prominent Sri Lankan Tamil politician and human rights lawyer. Born in the Jaffna district in the North of Sri Lanka, he served as a Member of Parliament for the Tamil National Alliance, which is backed by the LTTE, until he was shot dead by gunmen in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on...
have been assassinated since 2006, allegedly by the Sri Lankan government.
Formation
The alliance was formed in October 2001, just before the 2001 parliamentary electionSri Lankan parliamentary election, 2001
Parliamentary elections were held in Sri Lanka on December 6, 2001, just a little over a year after the last elections in October 2000.-Background:The People's Alliance government faced a blow when most of the SLMC MPs left the coalition...
, and consisted of:
- All Ceylon Tamil CongressAll Ceylon Tamil CongressAll Ceylon Tamil Congress , is the oldest Tamil political party in Sri Lanka.-History:The ACTC was founded in 1944 by G.G. Ponnambalam. Ponnambalam asked for a 50-50 representation in parliament...
- Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation FrontEelam People's Revolutionary Liberation FrontThe Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front is a Sri Lankan political party and a former militant separatist group.-Militant separatists:The EPRLF was formed in 1980 by K...
(A faction known as Suresh wing) - Tamil Eelam Liberation OrganizationTamil Eelam Liberation OrganizationThe Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization is an Eelam Tamil organisation campaigning for the establishment of an independent Tamil Eelam in the northeast of Sri Lanka. The TELO was originally created as a militant group, and functioned as such until 1986, when most of its membership was killed in a...
- Tamil United Liberation FrontTamil United Liberation FrontThe Tamil United Liberation Front is a political party in Sri Lanka which seeks independence for the Tamil-populated areas of Sri Lanka.-Formation:...
The TULF and ACTC have since left the TNA. Some members of the TULF who wanted to remain in the TNA have resurrected the Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi
Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi
Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi is a Sri Lankan political party which represents the Sri Lankan Tamil ethnic minority in the country. It was originally formed in 1949 as breakaway faction of the All Ceylon Tamil Congress...
which is now a constituent party of the TNA.
Manifesto and policies
The alliance has come up with two manifestoManifesto
A manifesto is a public declaration of principles and intentions, often political in nature. Manifestos relating to religious belief are generally referred to as creeds. Manifestos may also be life stance-related.-Etymology:...
s since 2001. In general the policies are based on the what is known as the Thimpu principles
Thimpu principles
The Thimpu principles or Thimpu Declaration were a set of four demands put forward by the Sri Lankan Tamil delegation at the first peace talks undertaken with respect to the Sri Lankan civil war...
amongst Sri Lankan Tamil nationalists. They are
- Recognition of the Tamils of Sri Lanka as a distinct nationalitySri Lankan Tamil nationalismSri Lankan Tamil nationalism is the conviction of the Sri Lankan Tamil people, a minority ethnic group in the South Asian island country of Sri Lanka , that they have the right to constitute an independent or autonomous political community. This idea has not always existed...
. - Recognition of an identified Tamil homelandTamil EelamTamil Eelam , is the name given by certain Tamils in Sri Lanka and the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora to the independent state which they aspire to create in the north and east of Sri Lanka. Tamil Eelam has no official status or recognition by any other state or authority...
and guarantee of its territorial integrity. - Based on the above, recognition of the inalienable right of self-determinationSelf-determinationSelf-determination is the principle in international law that nations have the right to freely choose their sovereignty and international political status with no external compulsion or external interference...
of the Tamil nation. - Recognition of the right to full citizenship and other fundamental democratic rights of all Tamils who look upon the island as their country.'
Further the alliance stands for
- The immediate lifting of the economic embargo currently in force in parts of the northeast province
- The withdrawal of the residential and travel restrictions foisted on the Tamil nationality
- The immediate cessation of the war being currently waged in the northeast
- The immediate commencement of the process of negotiations with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) with international third party involvement.
Relationship to the LTTE
The alliance recognized the LTTE as the sole Tamil national entity that has the right to negotiate on behalf of the Tamil people with the government of Sri Lanka. The alliance fully supported the Interim Self Governing AuthorityInterim Self Governing Authority
The Interim Self Governing Authority was a proposal issued on October 2003 by the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam of Sri Lanka for power sharing in the north and east of Sri Lanka...
(ISGA) proposal made by the LTTE. The alliance in general facilitated the eventual peace talks between the government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE directly over the Tamil national problem.
Assassination of MPs
The first TNA Member of Parliament (MP) to be killed was Nadarajah RavirajNadarajah Raviraj
Nadarajah Raviraj was a prominent Sri Lankan Tamil politician and human rights lawyer. Born in the Jaffna district in the North of Sri Lanka, he served as a Member of Parliament for the Tamil National Alliance, which is backed by the LTTE, until he was shot dead by gunmen in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on...
. A local human right organization, University Teachers for Human Rights
University Teachers for Human Rights
For the figure in Norse mythology, see UrðrThe University Teachers for Human Rights or UTHR was formed in 1988 at the University of Jaffna, Jaffna in Sri Lanka as part of the national organization University Teachers for Human Rights. Its public activities as a constituent part of university life...
(UTHR), claimed that they were near certain that Gotabhaya Rajapaksa
Gotabhaya Rajapaksa
Lieutenant Colonel Nandasena Gotabaya Rajapaksa, RWP, RSP, psc, GR is a retired officer of the Sri Lanka Army and the current Defence Secretary of Sri Lanka. After serving through the early parts of the country's civil war with Tamil Tiger rebels, he retired from the Army in 1992...
, current Permanent Secretary
Permanent Secretary
The Permanent secretary, in most departments officially titled the permanent under-secretary of state , is the most senior civil servant of a British Government ministry, charged with running the department on a day-to-day basis...
to the Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (Sri Lanka)
The Ministry of Defence, Public Security, Law & Order is the Sri Lankan government ministry responsible for implementation of government defence policy and the headquarters of the Sri Lankan Armed Forces....
of the Government of Sri Lanka, was involved in the assassination. Further, it claimed that one Gajanayake, whose forces work under the Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (Sri Lanka)
The Ministry of Defence, Public Security, Law & Order is the Sri Lankan government ministry responsible for implementation of government defence policy and the headquarters of the Sri Lankan Armed Forces....
, was the main organiser behind the assassination. The Sri Lankan government denied responsibility and strongly condemned his killing.
In the murder of Joseph Pararajasingham
Joseph Pararajasingham
Joseph Pararajasingham was a Sri Lankan Member of Parliament and a poet who was known for his pro-Tamil Tiger views and advocacy of human rights...
, UTHR report claimed the pro government Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal a splinter group from LTTE that is headed by one Karuna
Colonel Karuna
Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan is a Sri Lankan politician and former militant. After fighting for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam for over 20 years, he rose to prominence as the leader of the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal , a breakaway faction of the Tamil Tigers.After giving up arms and...
and Eelam Peoples Democratic Party headed by Douglas Devananda
Douglas Devananda
Kathiravelu Nithyananda Douglas Devananda, commonly known as Douglas Devananda, is a Sri Lankan Tamil politician, Cabinet Minister and leader of the Eelam People's Democratic Party. Originally a Sri Lanka Tamil militant who fought against the Sri Lankan government for an independent Tamil Eelam, he...
, para military cadres were responsible for the murder.
K. Sivanesan
K. Sivanesan
Kiddinan Sivanesan was a Sri Lankan Tamil politician and Member of Parliament. He was killed by a roadside bomb placed by the Sri Lanka Army's Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol .-Early life:...
the third M.P. was killed on March 6, 2008 by a roadside bomb near Killinochchi in LTTE controlled area in northern Sri Lanka while he was returning to his house in Mallaavi. The LTTE and other TNA
TNA
TNA may refer to:*Tamil National Alliance, a political coalition in Sri Lanka*The National Archives, in the United Kingdom*The New Amsterdams, a band*Threose nucleic acid, an analog of the nucleic acid DNA*Tonga Nurses' Association...
MPs alleged that it was carried out by a Sri Lanka Army Deep Penetration Unit
Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol (Sri Lanka)
The Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol is a covert operation unit of the Sri Lanka Army. This unit is also known as the Deep Penetration Unit of the Sri Lanka Army and also as the Mahasohon Brigade...
, the Army has denied the allegation. K. Sivanesan had alleged that he had been harassed by Sri Lankan Army earlier.
Further Ariyanayagam Chandra Nehru
Ariyanayagam Chandra Nehru
Ariyanayagam Chandra Nehru was a founder member of the pro-LTTE NESHOR and he was also a former Member of Parliament of the pro LTTE Tamil National Alliance in the Sri Lankan Parliament elected from Amparai in Eastern Sri Lanka. His father Ariyanayagam was also a member of the Sri Lankan...
a founder member of the pro-LTTE http://www.thebottomline.lk/2008/04/23/DBS%20COLL.htm NorthEast Secretariat on Human Rights (NESHOR) and also a former Member of Parliament of Tamil National Alliance elected from Amparai in Eastern Sri Lanka was ambushed and killed on February 7, 2005. The government had denied any responsibility, however the family and TNA blame SLA
2001 Parliamentary General Election
2004 Parliamentary General Election
2010 Parliamentary General Election
See also
- Sri Lankan Tamil nationalismSri Lankan Tamil nationalismSri Lankan Tamil nationalism is the conviction of the Sri Lankan Tamil people, a minority ethnic group in the South Asian island country of Sri Lanka , that they have the right to constitute an independent or autonomous political community. This idea has not always existed...
- Origins of the Sri Lankan civil warOrigins of the Sri Lankan civil warThe origins of the Sri Lankan Civil War lie in the continuous political rancor between the majority Sinhalese and the minority Tamils. According to Jonathan Spencer, a social anthropologist from the School of Social and Political Studies of the University of Edinburgh, the war is an outcome of how...
- 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...
- Tamil militant groups