Kumar Ponnambalam facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Maamanithar Kumar Ponnambalam
குமார் பொன்னம்பலம்
All Ceylon Tamil Congress candidate for President of Sri Lanka
Election date 20 October 1982
Opponent(s)	J. R. Jayewardene, Hector Kobbekaduwa and others
Incumbent	J. R. Jayewardene
Personal details
Born	(1938-08-12)12 August 1938
Died	5 January 2000(2000-01-05) (aged 61)
Political party	All Ceylon Tamil Congress
Alma mater	King's College London University of Cambridge
Profession	Lawyer

Gaasinather Gangaser Ponnambalam (Tamil: காசிநாதர் காங்கேசர் பொன்னம்பலம்: born August 12, 1938 – died January 5, 2000), known as Kumar Ponnambalam, was an important lawyer and politician from Sri Lanka. He was the leader of a political party called the All Ceylon Tamil Congress. In 1982, he ran for President of Sri Lanka. Kumar Ponnambalam passed away on January 5, 2000.

Early Life and Family Background

Kumar Ponnambalam was born on August 12, 1938. His father, G. G. Ponnambalam, was a well-known Tamil politician and lawyer. His mother was Rose Alagumani Clough.

Kumar Ponnambalam went to school at St. Patrick's College, Jaffna and Royal College, Colombo. He later studied at Aquinas University College in Colombo. He then went to King's College London and earned a law degree. After that, he studied at the University of Cambridge.

Kumar Ponnambalam married Yogalakshmi, who was a surgeon. They had a daughter named Mirinalini, who became a doctor, and a son named Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, who also became a lawyer and politician.

His Career and Work

Working as a Lawyer

Kumar Ponnambalam became a lawyer in 1974. He returned to Sri Lanka and started his law practice. He was a very successful lawyer. He even learned the Sinhala language so he could argue his cases in that language.

In the 1970s, Ponnambalam started working to protect people's rights. He helped create the Civil Rights Movement. He often helped people for free (this is called pro bono work), especially young Sinhalese people who had faced unfair treatment. He believed everyone should have a fair trial and opposed laws that created unfair justice systems. He also spoke out against a plan in 1982 to extend the life of Parliament without an election.

He traveled to important international meetings, like those at the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in Geneva and the European Parliament. There, he spoke about the problems faced by the Tamil people in Sri Lanka. He also helped bring attention to important human rights cases, like the Krishanti Kumaraswamy case and the Chemmani mass graves. He was known for helping Tamil youth who were held by the government under special laws, often without charging them.

In the World of Politics

Kumar Ponnambalam joined the All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC) in the 1960s. His father was the leader of this party. In 1966, Kumar became the head of the party's youth group.

In 1972, several Tamil political parties, including the ACTC, joined together to form the Tamil United Front, which later became the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF). However, Ponnambalam was not chosen to be a candidate for the 1977 election by this group. So, he ran as an independent candidate in Jaffna, but he did not win.

In 1978, Ponnambalam officially re-started the ACTC as its own political party. The ACTC ran in elections after that, but they didn't win many seats. In the 1982 Sri Lankan presidential election, Ponnambalam was the ACTC's candidate for president. He came in fourth place overall. However, he did win the most votes in the Jaffna Electoral District, which is a main area for the Sri Lankan Tamil population. He also ran in the 1989 election, but the ACTC did not win any seats in Parliament.

At first, Ponnambalam did not support the idea of a separate country for Tamils. He worked with Sinhalese politicians. But as the Sri Lankan Civil War continued, he became less trusting of Sinhalese politicians. He started to support a stronger Tamil national identity.

In the 1994 election, Ponnambalam ran as part of an independent group, but they did not win any seats. After this, he became a strong supporter of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a militant group. He also became a strong critic of the Sri Lankan government and other Tamil political parties that he felt were not doing enough for the Tamil people. Ponnambalam traveled around the world to promote the LTTE and their goals.

He was a very vocal critic of President Chandrika Kumaratunga. He tried to find a Tamil candidate to run against her in the 1999 presidential election, but he was not successful. After Kumaratunga won the election, she gave a speech. A few days later, Ponnambalam wrote an open letter to her. In this letter, he stated that he fully supported the LTTE's ideas. He also said that the Tamil people themselves should find a solution to their problems and that Tamils and Sinhalese could only live in peace if they had their own separate areas. This letter is seen as a very important statement of his dedication to the fight for equality and freedom for Sri Lankan Tamils.

His Passing

On the morning of January 5, 2000, a man named "Shantha" came to Ponnambalam's house in Colombo. Ponnambalam and Shantha talked for about 30 minutes. Then, they left together in Ponnambalam's car. Ponnambalam drove the car himself, and Shantha sat in the front passenger seat. Ponnambalam told his servants he was going out but didn't say where. He seemed comfortable with Shantha, but he took off his watch and jewelry before leaving.

About an hour later, people found Ponnambalam's car parked in Wellawatte. Ponnambalam was in the driver's seat and had been shot. Shantha was not there. Police believed another person might have been in the back seat of the car. Ponnambalam's family said that Shantha had been talking to Ponnambalam on the phone since November 1999, discussing a legal case.

Kumar Ponnambalam was killed in the same area where another politician, Nadarajah Atputharajah, had been killed a few months earlier. An unknown group called the National Movement Against Tigers said they were responsible for Ponnambalam's death. Many people believe that his death was ordered by President Kumaratunga.

On January 8, 2000, the LTTE gave Ponnambalam the special title of Maamanithar, which means "great human being." His funeral was held on January 9, 2000.

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