Veteran Sri Lankan Politician & Tamil Leader Sampanthan Passes Away
R. Sampanthan, a veteran Sri Lankan politician and a moderate Tamil leader, who relentlessly pursued a life of peace, justice and dignity for Tamil nationals in the island nation, passed away, the Tamil National Alliance (NTA) announced. He was 91.
Sampanthan led the TNA from 2004 and became only the second Tamil to become the main opposition leader in the Sinhala-majority country.
He took office as the leader of the opposition in 2015 and was actively involved in the process of drafting a new Constitution until 2019.
A brilliant lawyer, Sampanthan entered Parliament for the first time in 1977 from the eastern port district of Trincomalee.