{{Short description|Sri Lankan Tamil politician}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = | name = Vanniasingham Vigneswaran | native_name = | native_name_lang = | honorific_suffix = | image = | image_size = | constituency_MP1 = | parliament1 = | majority1 = | term_start1 = | term_end1 = | predecessor1 = | successor1 = | majority2 = | term_start2 = | term_end2 = | predecessor2 = | successor2 = | office = President of the Trincomalee District Tamil Peoples' Forum | birth_date = 1955<ref>{{cite web | url=http://pdfs.island.lk/2006/05/18/p9.pdf | title=The Killing of Political leaders | publisher=Island | date=18 May 2006 | accessdate=4 July 2021}}</ref> | birth_place = Nainativu, Sri Lanka | death_date = 7 April 2006 | death_place = Trincomalee | citizenship = | party = Tamil National Alliance | other_party = | spouse = | partner = | relations = | children = | alma_mater = Nainativu Central College | occupation = | profession = | website = | footnotes = | blank1 = Ethnicity | data1 = Sri Lankan Tamil }} '''Vanniasingham Vigneswaran''' (died in 2006) was a Sri Lankan Tamil politician and president of the Trincomalee District Tamil Peoples' Forum. He was selected as the National List Member of Parliament to replace Joseph Pararajasingham by the Tamil National Alliance who had been assassinated to the Sri Lankan Parliament. <!--the previous sentence is unclear; does it mean that Pararajasingham was also assassinated or something else?-->
==Death== Vigneswaran was shot dead at 9.30 am outside the Bank of Ceylon in Inner Harbor Road between the office of the Senior Superintendent of Police and Trincomalee Harbor Police in Trincomalee in a High Security Zone on 7 April 2006. Vigneswaran had led a campaign against the installation of a Buddha statue close to the Trincomalee central bus stand by the Sri Lankan Army in May 2005. In June 2005 grenades were thrown at his house.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=17691 | title=Vigneswaran shot dead in Trincomalee | publisher=Tamilnet | date=7 April 2006 | accessdate=29 June 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=17696 | title=TNA condemns Vigneswaran killing | publisher=Tamilnet | date=7 April 2006 | accessdate=29 June 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?artid=17733&catid=13 | title=TNA MPs, LTTE leaders pay respect to Vigneswaran in Kilinochchi | publisher=Tamilnet | date=11 April 2006 | accessdate=29 June 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2006/04/08/2003301605 | title=President of Tamil activist group in Sri Lanka assassinated | publisher=Taipei Times | date=8 April 2006 | accessdate=29 June 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/07/world/asia/ceasefire-endangered-by-sri-lanka-killings.html | title=Cease-fire endangered by Sri Lanka killings | work=New York Times | date=7 April 2006 | accessdate=29 June 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4886286.stm | title=Sri Lanka Tamil activist 'killed' | publisher=BBC News | date=7 April 2006 | accessdate=29 June 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.bbc.com/sinhala/news/story/2006/04/060409_trincomalee | title=Trinco activist honoured in Vanni | publisher=BBC Sinhala | date=9 April 2006 | accessdate=29 June 2021}}</ref> On 8 April 2006 the LTTE conferred the title Maamanithar (great human being) on Vigneswaran.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=17708 | title=Pirapaharan confers Maamanithar title to Vigneswaran | publisher=Tamilnet | date=8 April 2006 | accessdate=29 June 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=39485 | title=Another Buddha statue placed near Trincomalee private bus stand | publisher=Tamilnet | date=18 June 2019 | accessdate=30 June 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=17736 | title=Vigneswaran burial held in Anpuvallipuram | publisher=Tamilnet | date=11 April 2006 | accessdate=4 July 2021}}</ref><ref name="Tamil Guardian 2023">{{cite web | title=Assassinated Tamil activist Vigneswaran commemorated by TNPF | website=Tamil Guardian | date=13 Apr 2023 | url=https://www.tamilguardian.com/content/assassinated-tamil-activist-vigneswaran-commemorated-tnpf | access-date=13 Apr 2023}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vigneswaran, Vanniasingham}} Category:Sri Lankan Tamil activists Category:2006 deaths Category:1955 births Category:Sri Lankan Tamil politicians Category:Maamanithar Category:Tamil National Alliance politicians Category:Asian politicians assassinated in the 2000s Category:Politicians assassinated in 2006