Visuvanathan Rudrakumaran ( ta, விசுவநாதன் உருத்ரகுமாரன்) is the prime minister of the Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam, which aims to realize accountability for crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide committed by Sri Lanka against the Tamil minority and to create a separate Tamil state, called

Tamil Eelam Tamil Eelam ( ta, தமிழீழம், ''tamiḻ īḻam''; generally rendered outside Tamil-speaking areas as தமிழ் ஈழம்) is a proposed independent state that many Tamils in Sri Lanka and the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora ...

in Sri Lanka. He was the former legal advisor to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). By profession he is a lawyer in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. He is currently a US citizen and lives in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

Early life

Rudrakumaran is the son of the former

Jaffna Jaffna (, ) is the capital city of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jaffna District located on a peninsula of the same name. With a population of 88,138 in 2012, Jaffna is Sri Lanka's 12th mo ...

Mayor Rajah Viswanathan. He studied at

Jaffna Central College Jaffna Central College ( ta, யாழ்ப்பாணம் மத்திய கல்லூரி ''Yāḻppāṇam Mattiya Kallūri'', JCC) is a national school in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. Founded in 1816 by British Methodist missionaries, it ...

and earned law degrees from the Colombo Law College and the

Southern Methodist University , mottoeng = "The truth will make you free" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = SACS , academic_affiliations = , religious_affiliation = United Methodist Church , president = R. Gerald Turner , ...

. He also studied law for a period at Harvard, and is an expert in immigration law.

Career

Legal advisor to LTTE

Prior to the military defeat of the LTTE, he was the international legal advisor to the organization's supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran and in-charge of its international and diplomatic affairs. Rudrakumaran made valuable contributions to the LTTE, including coordinating lawyers in the defense of

Rajiv Gandhi assassination The assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, former Prime Minister of India, occurred as a result of a suicide bombing in Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu, India on 21 May 1991. At least 14 others, in addition to Rajiv Gandhi, were killed. It was carried ou ...

case, assisting in Suresh Manikkavasagam trial in Canada and challenging US decision to name LTTE as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in 1997. He has represented the LTTE in several peace talks with the Government of Sri Lanka.

Prime Minister of Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam

Visuvanathan Rudrakumaran is currently heading the Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam as its

prime minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

. To date referendums have been held in seven countries (

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, Switzerland,

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

and

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

References

External links

Tamil exiles to form 'government'
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rudrakumaran, Visvanathan Alumni of Jaffna Central College Alumni of Sri Lanka Law College American people of Sri Lankan Tamil descent Living people Members of the Transnational Constituent Assembly of Tamil Eelam Sri Lankan Hindus Sri Lankan Tamil lawyers Sri Lankan Tamil politicians Heads of state of states with limited recognition Year of birth missing (living people) Sri Lankan emigrants to the United States