Alfred Thambiayah

Alfred Leo Saverimuthu Thambiayah (; (November 10, 1903 – October 1, 2009) was a Ceylon Tamil businessman, centenarian, politician and Member of Parliament.

Early life and family Thambiayah was born on 8 November 1903 in Karampon on the island of Velanaitivu in northern Ceylon. His father was a ship owner in Kayts. The company grew to control the majority of the business out of the Port of Colombo. His opponent A. V. Kulasingham filed a legal petition stating that Thambiayah was disqualified from contesting the election as his Cargo Boat Dispatch Company had contracts with the state-owned Colombo Ports Authority. Judge Basanayake found in favour of Kulasingham and declared the Kayts election void. Electoral law didn't allow appeals against the judgement so the United National Party dominated government hurriedly passed the Election Petition Appeal Act No. 1 of 1948. Thambiayah appealed and judges Wijeyewardene, Canekeratne and Windham over ruled Basanayake's judgement and re-instated Thambiayah as the MP for Kayts.

Thambiayah was instrumental in the construction of road links to Velanaitivu from Jaffna Peninsula and Pungudutivu. The ACTC left the UNP government in 1953 but Thambiayah chose to remain with the UNP. Thambiayah, like many Tamil UNP politicians, left the UNP in 1956 over its support of the Sinhala Only policy.

Thambiayah's company suffered a set-back when the Port of Colombo was nationalised in 1958. Thambiayah's daughter Indumathi Renuka Rajiyah is the company's chairperson and his grandson Shamindra Vatsalan Rajiyah is the executive director.

He died prior to October 2009, aged no older than 105.