| Nediyavan | |
| Native Name: | நெடியவன் |
| Native Name Lang: | ta |
| Birth Name: | P. Sivaparan |
| Birth Date: | 28 August 1976 |
| Birth Place: | Vaddukoddai, Sri Lanka |
| Other Names: | Nedi, November India |
| Years Active: | 1994 - |
| Organization: | Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam |
Perinpanayagam Sivaparan (Tamil: பேரின்பநாயகம் சிவபரன்|translit=Pēriṉpanāyakam Civaparaṉ; born 28 August 1976; commonly known by the nom de guerre Nediyavan) is a Sri Lankan Tamil rebel and leading member of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a separatist Tamil militant organisation in Sri Lanka.
Sivaparan was born on 28 August 1976 in Vaddukoddai in northern Sri Lanka[1] [2] His family were from Sangarathai near Vaddukoddai.[3] [4] He was educated at Jaffna Hindu College.[2]
Sivaparan married to Sivagowry Shanthamohan (Gowry), niece of Captain Ranjan Lala, on 30 October 2005.[2] [3]
Sivaparan joined the militant Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 1994 aged 18.[2] [3] Sivaparan, who was 6 feet tall, was given the nom de guerre "Nediyavan" (tall man).[2] [3] After initial training Nediyavan studied at Kittu's police college.[2] He was sent by the LTTE to Russia to study political science but did not complete the course.[2] [3]
Nediyavan then joined the LTTE's political wing under S. P. Thamilselvan and took part in various Norwegian mediated peace talks with the Sri Lankan government.[2] [3] [5] Nediyavan later worked at the LTTE's International Co-coordinating Centre (ICC) headed by Castro (Veerakulasingam Manivannan).[2] [3] He was entrusted with managing LTTE's finances and front organisations abroad.[2] Nediyavan was sent to Norway in 2006 to co-ordinate the LTTE's activities abroad.[3] [4] When war resumed between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan military in 2006 Castro appointed Nediyavan to be in charge of the LTTE's international branches.[3] [4] In early 2009, as the war escalated, Nediyavan's predecessor KP re-established control over the LTTE's international branches, a move resented by Castro.[3] [4] KP took over the leadership of the remnants of the LTTE after it was militarily defeated in May 2009 and its leader V. Prabhakaran killed.[3] [4] Castro, Nediyavan and their supporters opposed KP's leadership.[3] [4] Nediyavan is believed to have taken over the leadership of the LTTE following the arrest of KP in August 2009 though his wife Gowry as denied this.[6] Former Sri Lankan diplomat K. Godage has alleged that KP's arrest was the result of betrayal by Nediyavan.[7]
Nediyavan worked in a nursery school in Norway.[8] He was head of the Tamil Coordinating Committee (TCC) in Norway.[9] He was questioned by the Norwegian police in August 2009 for unspecified reasons.[9]
Nediyavan was arrested by Norwegian police on 18 May 2011 in connection with financing LTTE activities in the Netherlands.[8] [10] [11] After being interrogated for two days by a Dutch judge and five state attorneys he was later released on bail.[12] [13] The police warned Nediyavan not to engage in or promote violence whilst living on Norway.[3] Nediyavan left Oslo and moved to a place 240 km away.[3]
Nediyavan was amongst 424 individuals designated as terrorists by the Sri Lankan government in February 2014.[14] In April 2014 the Sri Lankan police issued international arrest warrants (Interpol red notice) for 40 LTTE members including Nediyavan.[12] [15]