According to the counsellor with the Sri Lankan High Commission in Ottawa, there are seven Members of Parliament from the Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP): Douglas Devananda, S. Jeganathan, S. Thawarajah, K.V. Kugendran, S. Raheem, S. Sivathasan, and A. Rajamanickam (6 June 2000). The counsellor was unable to state what electoral ridings they represent but said that most were from Jaffna, although one or two could be Members of Parliament from eastern Sri Lankan; Douglas Devananda, the leader of the party, is from Jaffna.

According to the Agora Website: "Elections Around the World,"9 members of the EPDP were elected to the Sri Lankan National Assembly in elections held on 16 August 1994 (n.d.). A 2 November 1999 AFP report stated that a person by the name of Nadarajah, identified as an EPDP member and Tamil legislator, was shot dead in Colombo at the end of October 1999, along with his driver. Other sources also mention the names of EPDP Members of Parliament: Atputharajah Nadarajah (India-West 14 Jan. 2000), K.V. Kugamendran (Japan Economic Newswire 1 Feb. 2000), and S. Sivathsan (TamilNet 15 May 2000).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.

Agence France Presse (AFP). 2 November 1999. "AFP: LTTE Claims Capturing Key Town in Sri Lanka's North." (FBIS-NES-1999-1102 2 Nov. 1999/WNC)

Agora. n.d. "Elections Around the World: Sri Lanka." http://www.agora.stm.it/elections/srilanka.htm [Accessed 23 May 2000]

High Commission for the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. 6 June 2000. Telephone interview with the counsellor.

India-West. 14 January 2000. "CPJ Urges Kumaratunga to Investigate Journalist Killings." (The Ethnic News Watch/NEXIS)

Japan Economic Newswire. 1 February 2000. "45.000 Jaffna Students Protest Arrest of 2 Brothers." (NEXIS)

TamilNet. 15 May 2000. "President Says Tamil Tigers Will Not Be Allowed to Advance into Jaffna." (BBC Summary 17 May 2000 /NEXIS)