Alfred Thambiayah | |
---|---|
அல்பிரட் தம்பிஐயா | |
Member of the
Ceylonese Parliament for Kayts | |
In office 1947–1956 | |
Succeeded by | V. A. Kandiah |
Personal details | |
Born | 8 November 1903 |
Died | October 1, 2009 | (aged 105)
Political party | All Ceylon Tamil Congress |
Alma mater | St. Anthony's College St. Patrick's College St. Benedict's College St. Joseph's College |
Occupation | Businessman |
Ethnicity | Ceylon Tamil |
Alfred Leo Saverimuthu Thambiayah ( Tamil: அல்பிரட் லியோ சவரிமுத்து தம்பிஐயா; (November 10, 1903 – October 1, 2009) was a Ceylon Tamil businessman, centenarian, politician and Member of Parliament.
Thambiayah was born on 8 November 1903 in Karampon on the island of Velanaitivu in northern Ceylon. [1] [2] [3] His father was a ship owner in Kayts. [2] He was educated at St. Anthony's College, Kayts, St. Patrick's College, Jaffna, St. Benedict's College, Colombo and St. Joseph's College, Colombo. [2]
Thambiayah married Rajeswari, daughter of Adigar Sellamuttu. [3] They had two sons (Shivantha and Ravi) and two daughters (Subodhini and Indumathi Renuka). [3]
Thambiayah began his business career aged 21 by leasing the Olympia Cinema. [2] He then went into business with Chittampalam Abraham Gardiner, establishing the successful Ceylon Theatres Ltd. [2] Later on Ceylon Theatres bought Cargills & Millers and Thambiayah served as chairman/managing director of the latter. [2] Thambiayah acquired Cargo Boat Dispatch Company, a shipping company, in 1936 from Harry and John Cosmas. [2] [3] [4] The company grew to control the majority of the business out of the Port of Colombo. [4]
Thambiayah stood as an independent candidate in Kayts at the 1947 parliamentary election. [2] He won the election and entered Parliament. [2] [3] [5] 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. [6] 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. [7]
Thambiayah was instrumental in the construction of road links to Velanaitivu from Jaffna peninsula and Pungudutivu. [2] He also helped build schools, hospitals, roads, dispensaries and post offices on the island. [2]
Thambiayah was re-elected at the 1952 parliamentary election as an All Ceylon Tamil Congress candidate. [2] [8] The ACTC left the UNP government in 1953 but Thambiayah chose to remain with the UNP. [9] Thambiayah, like many Tamil UNP politicians, left the UNP in 1956 over its support of the Sinhala Only policy. [9]
Thambiayah stood for re-election in the constituency at the 1956 and March 1960 parliamentary elections but on each occasion was defeated by the Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (Federal Party) candidate V. A. Kandiah. [2] [10] [11]
Thambiayah's company suffered a set-back when the Port of Colombo was nationalised in 1958. [4] Thambiayah started diversifying his business interests, turning his company into a shipping agency house, taking shareholdings in Hatton National Bank and establishing Hotel Renuka in Kollupitiya in 1970 after the government started offering tax incentives to the hospitality sector. [2] [4]
Today Thambiayah's company is known as Renuka Holdings PLC and is one of Sri Lanka's largest conglomerates. [12] Thambiayah's daughter Indumathi Renuka Rajiyah is the company's chairperson and his grandson Shamindra Vatsalan Rajiyah is the executive director. [12] [13]
He died prior to October 2009, aged no older than 105. [14]
{{
cite book}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (
link)
Alfred Thambiayah | |
---|---|
அல்பிரட் தம்பிஐயா | |
Member of the
Ceylonese Parliament for Kayts | |
In office 1947–1956 | |
Succeeded by | V. A. Kandiah |
Personal details | |
Born | 8 November 1903 |
Died | October 1, 2009 | (aged 105)
Political party | All Ceylon Tamil Congress |
Alma mater | St. Anthony's College St. Patrick's College St. Benedict's College St. Joseph's College |
Occupation | Businessman |
Ethnicity | Ceylon Tamil |
Alfred Leo Saverimuthu Thambiayah ( Tamil: அல்பிரட் லியோ சவரிமுத்து தம்பிஐயா; (November 10, 1903 – October 1, 2009) was a Ceylon Tamil businessman, centenarian, politician and Member of Parliament.
Thambiayah was born on 8 November 1903 in Karampon on the island of Velanaitivu in northern Ceylon. [1] [2] [3] His father was a ship owner in Kayts. [2] He was educated at St. Anthony's College, Kayts, St. Patrick's College, Jaffna, St. Benedict's College, Colombo and St. Joseph's College, Colombo. [2]
Thambiayah married Rajeswari, daughter of Adigar Sellamuttu. [3] They had two sons (Shivantha and Ravi) and two daughters (Subodhini and Indumathi Renuka). [3]
Thambiayah began his business career aged 21 by leasing the Olympia Cinema. [2] He then went into business with Chittampalam Abraham Gardiner, establishing the successful Ceylon Theatres Ltd. [2] Later on Ceylon Theatres bought Cargills & Millers and Thambiayah served as chairman/managing director of the latter. [2] Thambiayah acquired Cargo Boat Dispatch Company, a shipping company, in 1936 from Harry and John Cosmas. [2] [3] [4] The company grew to control the majority of the business out of the Port of Colombo. [4]
Thambiayah stood as an independent candidate in Kayts at the 1947 parliamentary election. [2] He won the election and entered Parliament. [2] [3] [5] 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. [6] 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. [7]
Thambiayah was instrumental in the construction of road links to Velanaitivu from Jaffna peninsula and Pungudutivu. [2] He also helped build schools, hospitals, roads, dispensaries and post offices on the island. [2]
Thambiayah was re-elected at the 1952 parliamentary election as an All Ceylon Tamil Congress candidate. [2] [8] The ACTC left the UNP government in 1953 but Thambiayah chose to remain with the UNP. [9] Thambiayah, like many Tamil UNP politicians, left the UNP in 1956 over its support of the Sinhala Only policy. [9]
Thambiayah stood for re-election in the constituency at the 1956 and March 1960 parliamentary elections but on each occasion was defeated by the Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (Federal Party) candidate V. A. Kandiah. [2] [10] [11]
Thambiayah's company suffered a set-back when the Port of Colombo was nationalised in 1958. [4] Thambiayah started diversifying his business interests, turning his company into a shipping agency house, taking shareholdings in Hatton National Bank and establishing Hotel Renuka in Kollupitiya in 1970 after the government started offering tax incentives to the hospitality sector. [2] [4]
Today Thambiayah's company is known as Renuka Holdings PLC and is one of Sri Lanka's largest conglomerates. [12] Thambiayah's daughter Indumathi Renuka Rajiyah is the company's chairperson and his grandson Shamindra Vatsalan Rajiyah is the executive director. [12] [13]
He died prior to October 2009, aged no older than 105. [14]
{{
cite book}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (
link)