Kathiripillai Thurairatnam was a Sri Lankan Tamil politician and Member of Parliament

Member of Parliament

A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...

.

Early life

Thurairatnam was born on 10 August 1930. He was educated at Jaffna College

Jaffna College

-See also:* List of schools in Northern Province, Sri Lanka* Uduvil Girl's College* Union College-External links:* * * *...

, Vaddukoddai

Vaddukoddai

Vaddukoddai is small but important town in the minority Sri Lankan Tamil dominated Jaffna peninsula of Sri Lanka...

. He joined the clerical service at the age of 17 but left soon after to enter the University of Ceylon

University of Ceylon

The University of Ceylon was the only university in Sri Lanka from 1942 until 1972. It had several constituent campuses at various locations around Sri Lanka. The University of Ceylon Act No. 1 of 1972, replaced it with the University of Sri Lanka which existed from 1973 to 1978. In 1978 it was...

. After graduation he joined the teaching profession. He taught at the Puloly Hindu English School until 1960. Later on he studied at Ceylon Law College and qualified as a lawyer.

Political career

Thurairatnam joined 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...

 (Federal Party) soon after it was formed. He was ITAK's candidate for Point Pedro

Point Pedro Electoral District

Point Pedro Electoral District was an electoral district of Sri Lanka between August 1947 and February 1989. The district was named after the town of Point Pedro in Jaffna District, Northern Province. Udupiddy Electoral District was carved out of the western part of the district in March 1960...

 at the 1956 parliamentary election but failed to get elected. He however won the March 1960 parliamentary election and entered Parliament

Parliament of Ceylon

The Parliament of Ceylon was the legislative body of Ceylon established in 1947 by the Soulbury Constitution, prior to independence on 4 February 1948...

. He was re-elected at the July 1960, March 1965 and May 1970 parliamentary elections.

In 1972 the ITAK, All Ceylon Tamil Congress

All Ceylon Tamil Congress

All 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...

 and others formed the Tamil United Front (later renamed Tamil United Liberation Front

Tamil United Liberation Front

The Tamil United Liberation Front is a political party in Sri Lanka which seeks independence for the Tamil-populated areas of Sri Lanka.-Formation:...

). Thurairatnam was the TULF's candidate in Point Pedro at the 1977 parliamentary election

Sri Lankan parliamentary election, 1977

The 1977 Sri Lankan election heralded the beginning of a new period of Sri Lanka's history - a period of unprecedented violence.-Background:Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike had become extraordinarily unpopular. Her economic policies had led to industrial growth and self-reliance, but was...

 which he won. Thurairatnam and all other TULF MPs boycotted Parliament from the middle of 1983 for a number of reasons: they were under pressure from Sri Lankan Tamil militants

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...

 not to stay in Parliament beyond their normal six-year term; the Sixth Amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka

Constitution of Sri Lanka

The Constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka has been the constitution of the island nation of Sri Lanka since its original promulgation by the National State Assembly on 7 September 1978. It is Sri Lanka's second republican constitution, and its third constitution since the...

 required them to swear an oath unconditionally renouncing support for a separate state

Tamil Eelam

Tamil 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 the Black July

Black July

Black July is the commonly used name for the anti-Tamil pogrom and attacks carried out by mobs in Sri Lanka which began on July 23, 1983. The riots occurred following a deadly ambush by a Tamil militant organization known as Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam which killed 13 Sri Lanka Army soldiers...

 riots in which up to 3,000 Tamils were murdered by Sinhalese

Sinhalese people

The Sinhalese are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group,forming the majority of Sri Lanka,constituting 74% of the Sri Lankan population.They number approximately 15 million worldwide.The Sinhalese identity is based on language, heritage and religion. The Sinhalese speak Sinhala, an Indo-Aryan language and the...

mobs. After three months of absence, Thurairatnam forfeited his seat in Parliament on 5 January 1984.