Nadarajah Raviraj, TNA Jaffna district Parliamentarian, was killed on Friday (November 10th) by two gunmen while he was traveling in his vehicle. The two gunmen were able to slip out of the Colombo city that is on high alert after killing Raviraj and his security guard.

This assassination took place the day after the TNA demonstrated outside the office of the UNO condemning the attack in Vaharai and Raviraj actively participated in this protest. He is the second TNA Parliamentarian that has been killed within an year. Earlier, Josef Pararajasingam, a Senior TNA Parliamentarian was assassinated at a church in Batticola.

Raviraj had been associating himself with the Tamil struggle since his young days. He had been in the forefront of the fight for freedom. He was a human right activist and been an active member of the People’s Monitoring Committee formed in Colombo to fight against abductions disappearances and acts of violence.

He was fluent in all three languages. He was keen to explain the justice in the cause of the Tamils in Sinhala to the Sinhala masses. He took part in political debates conducted in Sinhala over the radio and the Television with the view to convey the right message to the Sinhala people.

He also played an active role in the demonstration staged in the well of the House by the TNA to highlight the violence in the North-East.

R.Sampanthan, TNA Parliamentary group Leader, who condemned the slaying of Raviraj had stated that the perpetrators of violence think that the arms of the law cannot reach them because of the inaction of the authorities in the past.

The slaying of the two TNA Parliamentarians is to intimidate all those who voice for the cause of the Tamils.

The government must have the commitment and the will to save the country from violence. The government cannot afford to be a prisoner of the forces that are committed to violence.

An English translation of the Editorial in Thinakkural, a Tamil daily, based in Colombo

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