The statue unveiling ceremony of Hon. Mavai Senathirajah, leader of the Sri Lanka Tamil Republican Party and former Member of Parliament, took place on January 31 in Mavittapuram, Jaffna. The statue was jointly unveiled by Governor of the Northern Province, Hon Vethanayagam, and former Minister of Tamil Nadu, Hon. Nallusamy.
The event was attended by Rt. Rev.Dr.Justin Gnanapragasam, Bishop of Jaffna, religious leaders, political figures, and the public. Born in September 1942 in Mavittapuram, Jaffna, Hon Mavai Senathirajah participated in the Sathiyagahra a non-violent protest campaign against the “Sinhala Only” policy and the “Sinhalaisation” of administration in Sri Lanka at the age of 19 in 1961 alongside S.J.V. Chelvanayakam “Thanthai Chelva”.
He later joined the youth wing of the Sri Lanka Tamil Republican Party and actively engaged in political struggles. He was arrested by the Sri Lankan army and spent nearly seven years in detention in Vavuniya, Welikade, and Magazine prisons.
Following the death of Parliamentarian Hon. Amirthalingam of the Tamil United Liberation Front, he was elected to Parliament through national list nomination and subsequently became the leader of the Sri Lanka Tamil Republican Party, serving as its head for ten years.
