Hon.
P. S. Soosaithasan
MP
பி. எஸ். சூசைதாசன்
Member of Parliament
for Mannar
In office
1977–1983
Preceded byS. A. Raheem
Personal details
Born(1934-07-24)24 July 1934
Died13 October 2017(2017-10-13) (aged 83)
Political partyTamil National Alliance
ProfessionAccountant
EthnicitySri Lankan Tamil
ReligionCatholic

Pilesiyan Sosai Soosaithasan (Tamil: பிலேசியன் சூசை சூசைதாசன், romanized: Pilēciyaṉ Cūcai Cūcaitācaṉ; 24 July 1934 – 13 October 2017) was a Sri Lankan Tamil accountant, politician and Member of Parliament.

Early life

Soosaithasan was born on 24 July 1934.[1] He was from Vankalai in northern Ceylon and was a Catholic.[2]

Career

Soosaithasan was an accountant and worked in Ceylon, United Kingdom, Zambia and Canada.[2] He was chief accountant at Lanka Salu Sala, the state owned hand loom and textile manufacturer.[3]

Soosaithasan stood as the Tamil United Liberation Front's candidate in Mannar at the 1977 parliamentary election. He won the election and entered Parliament.[4] He served as chairman of the Public Accounts Committee.[2] Soosaithasan 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 Black July riots in which up to 3,000 Tamils were killed by Sinhalese mobs. After three months of absence, Soosaithasan forfeited his seat in Parliament on 22 October 1983.[5]

Later Soosaithasan migrated to Canada where some of his children were living, taking up Canadian citizenship and working as an accountant in the private and public sector.[2] After retirement Soosaithasan returned to Sri Lanka to live in Vankalai, taking up dual citizenship.[2]

Soosaithasan was one of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) candidates in Vanni District at the 2010 parliamentary election but failed to get elected after coming sixth amongst the TNA candidates.[6]

Soosaithasan died on 13 October 2017 in Sri Lanka.[2]

Electoral history

Electoral history of P. S. Soosaithasan
Election Constituency Party Votes Result
1977 parliamentary[4] Mannar TULF 15,141 Elected
2010 parliamentary[6] Vanni District TNA 7,156 Not elected

References

  1. ^ "Directory of Past Members: Soosaithasan, Pilesiyan Sosai". Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, Sri Lanka: Parliament of Sri Lanka. Retrieved 14 October 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Jeyaraj, D. B. S. (14 October 2017). "Former TULF Mannar MP Soosaithasan Passes Away at the Age of 83 in Sri Lanka". Retrieved 14 October 2017.
  3. ^ Sameer, Firoze (10 December 2010). "Appreciation – Ranil Mendis". The Sunday Times. Colombo, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015.
  4. ^ a b "Results of Parliamentary General Election - 1977" (PDF). Colombo, Sri Lanka: Election Commission of Sri Lanka. p. 21.[permanent dead link]
  5. ^ Wickramasinghe, Wimal (18 January 2008). "Saga of crossovers, expulsions and resignations etc. Referendum for extention [sic] of Parliament". The Island. Colombo, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 14 October 2017.
  6. ^ a b "Parliamentary General Election - 2010 Vanni Preferences" (PDF). Colombo, Sri Lanka: Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 May 2010.
Categories