Xavier Mark Sellathambu ( ta, சேவியர் மார்க் செல்லத்தம்பு ; 20 October 1917 – 26 March 1984) was a
Sri Lankan Tamil
Sri Lankan Tamils ( or ), also known as Ceylon Tamils or Eelam Tamils, are Tamils native to the South Asian island state of Sri Lanka. Today, they constitute a majority in the Northern Province, live in significant numbers in the Eastern Pr ...
civil servant, politician and
Member of Parliament.
Early life
Sellathambu was born on 20 October 1917. He was married to Mary Josephine.
Career
Sellathambu was
Divisional Revenue Officer for Mullaitivu.
Sellathambu stood as the
Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi's (Federal Party) candidate in
Vavuniya
Vavuniya (, romanized: ''Vavuṉiyā'', , romanized: ''Vavuniyāva''). Vavuniya City is the capital of Vavuniya District in the Northern Province, Sri Lanka, Northern Province of Sri Lanka and the largest city in the Northern Province. The municip ...
at the
1970 parliamentary election. He won the election and entered
Parliament.
On 14 May 1972 the ITAK,
All Ceylon Tamil Congress
All Ceylon Tamil Congress ( ta, அகில இலங்கைத் தமிழ்க் காங்கிரஸ்), is the oldest Tamil political party in Sri Lanka.
History
The ACTC was founded in 1944 by G.G. Ponnambalam. Ponnambalam ask ...
,
Ceylon Workers' Congress
The Ceylon Workers' Congress (CWC) ( ta, இலங்கை தொழிலாளர் காங்கிரஸ், translit=Ilaṅkai Toḻilāḷar Kāṅkiras; si, ලංකා කම්කරු කොංග්රසය ''Lanka Kamkaru ...
, Eelath Thamilar Otrumai Munnani and All Ceylon Tamil Conference formed the
Tamil United Front, later renamed
Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF).
Sellathambu was the TULF's candidate in
Mullaitivu at the
1977 parliamentary election and was re-elected. He was Chief Opposition Whip from 1977 to 1983.
Sellathambu 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 not to stay in Parliament beyond their normal six-year term; the Sixth Amendment to the
Constitution of Sri Lanka required them to swear an oath unconditionally renouncing support for a
separate state; and the
Black July riots in which up to 3,000 Tamils were murdered by
Sinhalese
Sinhala may refer to:
* Something of or related to the Sinhalese people of Sri Lanka
* Sinhalese people
* Sinhala language, one of the three official languages used in Sri Lanka
* Sinhala script, a writing system for the Sinhala language
** Sinha ...
mobs. After three months of absence, Sellathambu forfeited his seat in Parliament on 21 October 1983. Sellathambu died in March 1984 at the age of 66.
Personalities, Sri Lanka: A Biographical Study (15th-20th Century), 1490-1990 A.D., A-Z
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References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sellathambu, X. M.
1917 births
1984 deaths
Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi politicians
Members of the 7th Parliament of Ceylon
Members of the 8th Parliament of Sri Lanka
People from Northern Province, Sri Lanka
People from British Ceylon
Sri Lankan Tamil civil servants
Sri Lankan Tamil politicians
Tamil United Liberation Front politicians