Alfred Duraiappah

Alfred Duraiappah (died 27 July 1975) was a former MP and mayor of Jaffna, Sri Lanka who was assassinated, reputedly by Velupillai Prabhakaran, the leader of the LTTE.

First political murder

Alfred Duraiappah was a former MP and mayor of Jaffna, Sri Lanka, whose assassination by the LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran in July 1975 is considered a seminal event marking the onset the Sri Lankan civil war. Duraiappah was killed on his way to a Hindu temple for prayers, although he himself was a Christian. Pro-LTTE sources [http://sangam.org/Sabaratnam/PirapaharanChap8.htm] and human rights groups [http://www.uthr.org/Book/CHA02.htm#_Toc527947383] confirm that LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran killed Alfred Duraiappah although the murder was not prosecuted by law enforcement agencies.Fact|date=February 2007

Family

After assassination of Alfred Duraiappah his family moved to Canberra, Australia. His grandson Nithiraja st. Valentine Thirurajah, who is a successful economic advisor at the parliament house. In 1988 him and his wife celebrated the joy of adopting a daughter of aboriginal decent, Mahesha Gabriella Thirurajah. Who is currently studying a degree in commerce at the University of Canberra. She was adopted in Alice springs from a helpless aboriginal family who carried the herpies disease. When she arrived in Canberra she still maintained the rituals and traits of the Towomba tribe. Her parents taught her to use cutlery as opposed to the traditional Towomba hunting utensiles. She later reimburst her natural heritage as a criminal and joined the mighty fearsome 'Currys with Attitude' also known as C.W.A. Since then she has not been sighted.

Revenge Killing?

His murder came about as a revenge due to the killing of 9 (see 1974 Tamil conference incident) Tamil civilians by the Sri Lankan police. The killings happened during an international conference on Tamil language that took place in Jaffna. It was alleged that the organizers who were Tamil nationalists as opposed to Alfred Duriappah who was aligned to the Sri Lankan Sinhalese nationalistic Party the SLFP shunned him in the proceedings. This alleged insult led to police intervention in some pretext that lead to the civilian deaths.

His tenure and Jaffna prosperity

Nevertheless his tenure as the Mayor of a long neglected city saw it endowed with funds for development from the government in Colombo. Roads were paved, stadiums built and jobs were provided to youth. His period of office also saw the general prosperity of the Jaffna farmer who were the back bone of the society as the prices of onions, chilies and other native produce sky rocketed due to the adherence a planned socialist economy by Colombo banned the importation of these items from abroad.

References

[http://www.asiantribune.com/oldsite/show_news.php?id=16699%E2%80%9D Appoint a Commission to inquire into the killings of Parliamentarians]

External links

* [http://sangam.org/Sabaratnam/PirapaharanChap8.htm First Military Operation - Pirapaharan Returns]
* [http://www.uthr.org/Book/CHA02.htm#_Toc527947383 The Murder of Alfred Duraiappah]
* [http://www.asian-affairs.com/edito/aa20.html SRI LANKA: NO WAR NO PEACE]
* [http://webhome.idirect.com/~sluna/island.htm Claims and Dilemmas: 25 years after Duraiappah]
* [http://thenee.com/html/alfred.html Alfred Duriappah - A Tamil Article]
* [http://www.uthr.org/Book/CHA02.htm#_Toc527947383 Inside Story into the murder of Alfred Duraiappah - UTHR(J) report]