Mylvaganam Canagaratnam (15 April 1924 – 20 April 1980) was a
Sri Lankan Tamil politician and Member of Parliament.
Canagaratnam stood as the
Tamil United Liberation Front
The Tamil United Liberation Front ( ta, தமிழர் ஐக்கிய விடுதலை முன்னணி, translit=Tamil Onrupattatu Viduthulai Munnai, si, ද්රවිඩ එක්සත් විමුක්ති ප ...
's candidate for
Pottuvil
Pottuvil ( ta, பொத்துவில், translit=Pottuvil; si, පොතුවිල, translit=Potuvil) is a town in the Ampara District of Sri Lanka, located in the Eastern Province on the eastern coast of the Island. It is situated ...
at the
1977 parliamentary election. He came second and entered
Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...
as the second member for Pottuvil. In December 1977, he
defected
In politics, a defector is a person who gives up allegiance to one state in exchange for allegiance to another, changing sides in a way which is considered illegitimate by the first state. More broadly, defection involves abandoning a person, ca ...
to the
United National Party
The United National Party, often abbreviated as UNP ( si, එක්සත් ජාතික පක්ෂය, translit=Eksath Jāthika Pakshaya, ta, ஐக்கிய தேசியக் கட்சி, translit=Aikkiya Tēciyak Kaṭci), ...
-led
government
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...
and was rewarded by being appointed District Minister for Batticaloa.
Canagaratnam was shot outside his home in
Kollupitiya
Kollupitiya, also known as Colpetty is a major neighbourhood of Colombo, Sri Lanka. The name Kollupitiya comes from the name of a chief from Kandy who had unsuccessfully attempted to dethrone the last king of Kandy. During the period of British ...
,
Colombo
Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo me ...
on 24 January 1978.
The attack was blamed on
V. Prabhakaran and
Uma Maheswaran
Kadirgamapillai (Kathirkamar) Nallainathan ( ta, க. உமாமகேசுவரன்; 18 February 1945 – 16 July 1989; commonly known by the nom de guerre Uma Maheswaran) was a Sri Lankan Tamil rebel and founder/leader of the People's ...
of the
militant Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE; ta, தமிழீழ விடுதலைப் புலிகள், translit=Tamiḻīḻa viṭutalaip pulikaḷ, si, දෙමළ ඊළාම් විමුක්ති කොටි, t ...
.
He died of his injuries on 20 April 1980.[
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Canagaratnam, M.
1924 births
1980 deaths
Assassinated Sri Lankan politicians
District ministers of Sri Lanka
Members of the 8th Parliament of Sri Lanka
People from Eastern Province, Sri Lanka
People killed during the Sri Lankan Civil War
People from British Ceylon
Tamil politicians
Sri Lankan terrorism victims
Tamil United Liberation Front politicians
Terrorism deaths in Sri Lanka
United National Party politicians
1980s assassinated politicians in Asia
Assassinated politicians in 1980