Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan | |
|---|---|
| Member of Parliament for National List | |
| In office 7 October 2008 – 26 June 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Wasantha Samarasinghe |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan 1966 (age 57–58) Kiran, Batticaloa District |
| Nationality | Sri Lankan |
| Political party | Sri Lanka Freedom Party |
| Other political affiliations | Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (2004–2009) |
| Spouse | Nira |
| Children | Three children |
| Nickname | Colonel Karuna |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Government of Sri Lanka |
| Years of service | 1983-2004, 2004-2009 |
| Unit | Karuna Group |
| Commands | Leader, Karuna Group LTTE Commander, Eastern Province |
Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan (nom de guerre: Colonel Karuna Amman; Tamil: விநாயகமூர்த்தி முரளிதரன், Vināyakamūrtti Muraḷitaraņ; born 22 June 1966) is a Sri Lankan politician and former militant. Formerly a fighter for the Tamil separatist group, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), for over 20 years, Muralitharan later rose to prominence after defecting from the LTTE and forming the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP), a breakaway faction of the LTTE.
After giving up arms and entering politics, he was appointed as a National List Member of Parliament in 2008 for the ruling United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA), the party of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa,[1] and was sworn in as Minister of National Integration on 9 March, 2009.[2] He later joined the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), the main constituent party of the UPFA, and on 24 April 2009 he was appointed as a Vice President of the SLFP.[3]