The Tamil National Alliance (Tamil: தமிழ்த் தேசியக் கூட்டமைப்பு 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.^[1]

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.^{[citation needed]}

Formation[link]

The alliance was formed in October 2001, just before the 2001 parliamentary election, and consisted of:

• All Ceylon Tamil Congress
• Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front (A faction known as Suresh wing)
• Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization
• Tamil United Liberation Front

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.

Manifesto and policies[link]

The alliance has come up with two manifestos since 2001. In general the policies are based on the what is known as the Thimpu principles amongst Sri Lankan Tamil nationalists. They are

1. Recognition of the Tamils of Sri Lanka as a distinct nationality.
2. Recognition of an identified Tamil homeland and guarantee of its territorial integrity.
3. Based on the above, recognition of the inalienable right of self-determination of the Tamil nation.
4. 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

1. The immediate lifting of the economic embargo currently in force in parts of the northeast province
2. The withdrawal of the residential and travel restrictions foisted on the Tamil nationality
3. The immediate cessation of the war being currently waged in the northeast
4. The immediate commencement of the process of negotiations with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) with international third party involvement.^[2]

Relationship to the LTTE[link]

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 Authority (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.^[2]

Assassination of MPs[link]

The first TNA Member of Parliament (MP) to be killed was Nadarajah Raviraj. 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.^[2][3] The Sri Lankan government denied responsibility and strongly condemned his killing.^[4]

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.^[2][5]

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,^[2][6][7] the Army has denied the allegation.^[8] K. Sivanesan had alleged that he had been harassed by Sri Lankan Army earlier.^[9]

Further Ariyanayagam Chandra Nehru a founder member of the pro-LTTE [1] 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 ^[10]

Election results[link]

2001 Parliamentary General Election[link]

In the first parliamentary election contested by the Tamil National Alliance, the 5 December 2001 election, the TNA led by Rajavarothiam Sampanthan won 3.88% of the popular vote and 15 out of 225 seats in the Sri Lankan parliament.

Votes and seats won by TNA by electoral district

2004 Parliamentary General Election[link]

In the 2 April 2004 parliamentary election in which the United People's Freedom Alliance alliance led by President Kumaratunga came to power, the Tamil National Alliance led by Rajavarothiam Sampanthan won 6.84% of the popular vote and 22 out of 225 seats in the Sri Lankan parliament.

Votes and seats won by TNA by electoral district

2010 Parliamentary General Election[link]

In the 8 April 2010 parliamentary election in which the United People's Freedom Alliance alliance led by President Rajapaksa retained power, the Tamil National Alliance led by Rajavarothiam Sampanthan won 2.9% of the popular vote and 14 out of 225 seats in the Sri Lankan parliament.

Votes and seats won by TNA by electoral district

See also[link]

• Sri Lankan Tamil nationalism
• Origins of the Sri Lankan civil war
• Sri Lankan civil war
• Tamil militant groups

References[link]

External links[link]

• Tamil National Alliance
• Tamil National Alliance

v t e Political parties in Sri Lanka United People's Freedom Alliance All Ceylon Muslim Congress · Ceylon Workers' Congress · Communist Party of Sri Lanka · Desha Vimukthi Janatha Pakshaya · Eelam People's Democratic Party · Eelavar Democratic Front · Jathika Hela Urumaya · Lanka Sama Samaja Party · Liberal Party · Mahajana Eksath Peramuna · National Freedom Front · Sinhalaye Mahasammatha Bhoomiputra Pakshaya · Sri Lanka Freedom Party · Sri Lanka Mahajana Pakshaya · Sri Lanka Muslim Congress · Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal · Up-Country People's Front United National Front United National Party Tamil National Alliance Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front (Suresh) · Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi · Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization Democratic National Alliance Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna Others outside parliament Bahujana Nidahas Peramuna · Ceylon Communist Party (Maoist) · Ceylon Democratic Unity Alliance · Democratic People's Front · Democratic People's Liberation Front · Eelam National Democratic Liberation Front · Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front (Padmanaba) · Left Liberation Front (Democratic Left Front, Lanka Sama Samaja Party (Alternative Group), National Democratic Movement, Nava Sama Samaja Party, New Democratic Party) · Revolutionary Workers Party · Socialist Equality Party · Socialist Party · Tamil National People's Front (All Ceylon Tamil Congress) · Tamil United Liberation Front · United Socialist Party Portal:Politics - List of political parties - Politics of Sri Lanka

National Alliance is the name taken by a number of political parties and organisations around the world:

• Anguilla – Anguilla National Alliance
• Australia – National Alliance (Australia) (WA)
• Bulgaria – Bulgarian National Alliance
• Fiji – National Alliance Party of Fiji
• Italy – National Alliance (Italy)
• Kenya – National Alliance Party of Kenya
• Latvia - National Alliance (Latvia)
• Netherlands – National Alliance (Netherlands)
• Norway – National Alliance (Norway)
• Pakistan – National Alliance (Pakistan)
• Papua New Guinea – National Alliance Party
• Peru – National Alliance (Peru)
• Portugal – National Alliance (Portugal)
• Saint Lucia – National Alliance (Saint Lucia)
• Saint Martin – National Alliance (Sint Maarten)
• San Marino – San Marinese National Alliance
• South Africa – National Alliance (South Africa)
• Spain – National Alliance July 18
• Sweden – National Alliance (Sweden)
• Syria – National Alliance (Syria)
• United Kingdom – Nationalist Alliance
• United States – National Alliance (United States)
• Uruguay – National Alliance (Uruguay)

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

David Buell Jeyaraj (born: May 21, 1954) is a freelance Canadian journalist. His articles appear under the name D.B.S Jeyaraj, the initials stand for David Buell Sabapathy.

Biography[link]

Jeyaraj is an ethnic Tamil Christian, a native of Udupiddy town, northern province Sri Lanka. He began his career as a cub-reporter of Virakesari Tamil weekly. Subsequently, he became bilingual and contributed his news reports and commentaries to the Colombo-based English dailies, owned predominantly by Sinhalese publishing moguls. Later, Jeyaraj became a reporter of Chennai-based Hindu publications - The Hindu, and Frontline magazine. He also has published in the Sunday Leader, The Nation, and The Bottom Line.

Jeyraj's critical reporting of Indian Peace Keeping Force had resulted in him being reportedly fired from The Hindu.^[1]It is rather funny that the same Hindu group had rehired him subsequently, and Jeyaraj's latest contribution on the 2010 Presidential elections in Sri Lanka, did appear in the Hindu daily on January 29, 2010.

Career in Journalism[link]

He has appeared on both the BBC and CBC to discuss politics in Sri Lanka and among the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora. He now lives in Toronto, Canada.

Neutral observer[link]

Jeyaraj's journalism is critical of both sides in the Sri Lanka civil war; the government and the LTTE. For this, he has been the target of death threats and beatings from hard-core LTTE supporters.^[2]

However D.B.S Jeyaraj says that he empathizes with LTTE's struggle for a Tamil state at the same time he sees necessity for closer introspection of some of its activities^[3] Though pretending to be a neutral observer, Jeyaraj smears his critics with a pejorative 'acolytes' of LTTE in his commentaries. He is often viewed as a fervent Tamil Protestant by his fans, a small community closely associated with the politics of Tamil secessionism and thus at times attacked by both Buddhists and Hindus for a purported religious bias^{[citation needed]}.

Currently, Jeyaraj reports regularly for the independent Sunday Leader newspaper and publishes on a number of news sites including Transcurrents.com, Tamilweek.com and Uthayam.net.

External links[link]

• D.B.S. Jeyaraj home page
• CBC profile of Jeyaraj

References[link]

• ^ The Hindu fires him
• ^ Beating of Jeyaraj
• ^ CBC feature