Trinco former UC Chairman Suriyamoorthy dies

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 25 May 2005, 04:47 GMT]
Mr.Periyapodi Suriyamoorthy, former Chairman of the Trincomalee Urban Council Wednesday early morning around 5.30 a.m. succumbed to gunshot injuries in the Colombo national hospital exactly after a week he was shot at on May 18 Wednesday night by unidentified gunmen in his Trincomalee residence, family sources said.

He underwent emergency operation in Trincomalee general hospital after he received gunshot injuries in his abdomen but was later airlifted to Colombo national hospital after his condition became critical. He passed away after a week with regaining sense, sources said.

He was 56 and father of five children. He was born in Alvai in Vadamaradchchi division in Jaffna district in the year 1949.

He entered politics in the year 1989 contesting the first election to the North East Provincial Council (NEPC), which came into being with the signing of the Indo-Sri Lanka agreement. He was elected to the NEPC and became its first chairman. The NEPC was dissolved by the then Sri Lanka's President Mr.R.Premadasa in 1990. Since then the NEPC is administered by the central government. Provincial Council system was introduced in the country to find a political solution to the Tamil national question through devolution of power, sources said.

Mr.Suriyamoorthy thereafter entered local politic by contesting the election held for the Trincomalee Urban Council in 1994. An independent group fielded by him polled highest votes in the election and he became the Chairman of the council. He continued as the chairman till the council was dissolved in the year 2000. Since then the UC is administered by a special administrator appointed by the central government.

During his tenure of his office, he constructed new public market at a cost of about seven million rupees in a new place located along the Power House Road in addition to the existing market of the council in front of the bus stand. However the central government did not allow the opening of the new market on representation made by Sinhalese vendors of the UC market, describing at as a "Tamil market". From 1999 the new market remained unused.