Honorific-Prefix: | Hon. |
Sri Ranga Jeyaratnam | |
Native Name: | சிறீ ரங்கா ஜெயரத்தினம் |
Native Name Lang: | ta |
Honorific-Suffix: | MP |
Constituency Mp1: | Nuwara Eliya District |
Parliament1: | Sri Lankan |
Term Start1: | 2010 |
Term End1: | 2015 |
Birth Date: | 22 January 1971 |
Nationality: | Sri Lankan |
Party: | Citizen's Front |
Otherparty: | United People's Freedom Alliance |
Alma Mater: | University of Colombo |
Occupation: | Broadcaster |
Sri Ranga Jeyaratnam (Tamil: சிறீ ரங்கா ஜெயரத்தினம்; born 22 January 1971), also known J. Sri Ranga, is a Sri Lankan Tamil broadcaster, politician and former Member of Parliament.
Jeyaratnam was born on 22 January 1971.[1] He was educated at Vavuniya Tamil Madhya Maha Vidyalayam and Jaffna Hindu College.[2] He then entered the University of Colombo where he was captain of the football team.[3] [4]
After university Jeyaratnam joined MBC Networks, presenting the Erimalai (volcano) programme on Shakthi FM.[2] He later moved to television, presenting the Minnal (lightning) programme on Shakthi TV.[2] [5] This programme was very popular amongst the Up-country Tamils, particularly the youth.[5] He is leader of the Citizen's Front (CF).[5]
Jeyaratnam has close ties with President Mahinda Rajapaksa's family and is a close friend of his son Namal Rajapaksa.[6]
During 2005 and 2006 Jeyaratnam and his family received several threats from unidentified persons.[7] [8] In November 2006, after Jeyaratnam's TV programme featured the assassination of Tamil National Alliance MP Nadarajah Raviraj, the police informed Shakthi TV that Jeyaratnam's life was in danger.[9] [10] On 3 February 2010 an unidentified group attacked the vehicle he was travelling in near Hatton.[11]
Jeyaratnam contested the 2010 parliamentary election as one of the United National Front's candidates in Nuwara Eliya District and was elected to Parliament.[12] [13] Jeyaratnam did not contest the 2015 parliamentary election but was instead placed on the United People's Freedom Alliance's (UPFA) list of National List candidates.[14] [15] However, after the election he was not appointed to the National List.[16] [17]
Constituency | scope=col | Party | scope=col | Votes | scope=col | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Elected |