K. Thurairatnam

Kathiripillai Thurairatnam (, 10 August 1930 – 23 September 1995) was a Sri Lankan Tamil teacher, lawyer, politician and Member of Parliament.

Early life Thurairatnam was born on 10 August 1930. He was educated at Jaffna College, Vaddukoddai. He however won the March 1960 parliamentary election and entered Parliament. He was re-elected at the July 1960, March 1965 and May 1970 parliamentary elections.

Thurairatnam played a leading role in the 1961 satyagraha campaign organised by ITAK. Early on the morning of 20 February 1961 a group of 55 to 75 persons staged a satyagraha at the Jaffna Kachcheri in Old Park. Among them were ITAK MPs A. Amirthalingam, S. J. V. Chelvanayakam, V. Dharmalingam, V. A. Kandiah, E. M. V. Naganathan, V. N. Navaratnam and Thurairatnam. On 21 May 1976 Thurairatnam was delivering leaflets along with other leading Tamil politicians (A. Amirthalingam, V. N. Navaratnam, K. P. Ratnam and M. Sivasithamparam) when they were all arrested on government orders. Sivasithamparam was released but the others were taken to Colombo and tried for sedition.

Thurairatnam was the TULF's candidate in Point Pedro at the 1977 parliamentary election and was re-elected. Thurairatnam and all other TULF MPs boycotted Parliament from the middle of 1983 for a number of reasons: they were under pressure from Sri Lankan Tamil militants not to stay in Parliament beyond their normal six-year term; the Sixth Amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka required them to swear an oath unconditionally renouncing support for a separate state; and the 1983 Black July riots in which up to 3,000 Tamils were murdered by Sinhalese mobs. After three months of absence, Thurairatnam forfeited his seat in Parliament on 5 January 1984.

Thurairatnam died on 23 September 1995.