T. Rasalingam Explained

Honorific-Prefix:Hon.
T. Rasalingam
Honorific-Suffix:MP
Constituency Mp1:Udupiddy
Parliament1:Sri Lankan
Term Start1:1977
Term End1:1983
Predecessor1:K. Jeyakody
Birth Date:21 November 1933
Party:Tamil United Liberation Front
Blank1:Ethnicity
Data1:Sri Lankan Tamil

Thambipillai Rasalingam was a Sri Lankan Tamil politician and Member of Parliament.

Rasalingam was born on 21 November 1933.[1] He was from Vathiry in northern Ceylon and was an education officer.[2] [3]

Rasalingam stood as the Tamil United Liberation Front's candidate for Udupiddy at the 1977 parliamentary election. He won the election and entered Parliament.[4]

Rasalingam 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 mobs. After three months of absence, Rasalingam forfeited his seat in Parliament on 21 October 1983.[5]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Rasalingam, Thambipillai. Parliament of Sri Lanka.
  2. Book: Rajasingham, K. T.. Sri Lanka: The Untold Story. https://web.archive.org/web/20020416074026/http://www.atimes.com/ind-pak/DB02Df03.html. unfit. 2002-04-16. Chapter 25: War or peace?.
  3. News: Jeyaraj. D. B. S.. Life and times of Sivasithamparam. The Sunday Leader. 9 June 2002.
  4. Web site: Result of Parliamentary General Election 1977. Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110717002624/http://www.slelections.gov.lk/pdf/General%20Election%201977.PDF. 2011-07-17.
  5. News: Wickramasinghe. Wimal. Saga of crossovers, expulsions and resignations etc. Referendum for of Parliament. The Island (Sri Lanka). 18 January 2008.