Alfred Thangarajah Duraiappah (15 June 1926 – 27 July 1975) was a Sri Lankan lawyer who served as Mayor of Jaffna from 1970 until his assassination.

[1][3][4] Duraiappah entered local government politics in 1952 having been elected to Jaffna Municipal Council and was became its deputy mayor in 1958.

He won the election and entered Parliament, defeating G. G. Ponnambalam from the All Ceylon Tamil Congress and S. Kathiravelupillai of the Federal Party.

[9] By April 1971, Duraiappah had become a member of the governing Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and its chief organiser in Jaffna District.

As news spread of the shooting, many gathered at the Chelliah Kumarasuriar, Minister of Posts and Telecommunications visited the hospital.

[4][17] Some members of his family believed that Posts and Telecommunications Minister Kumarasuriar, Duraiappah's political rival, was behind the assassination.

[21] However, his assassination was widely blamed on the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and its leader V.

[22][23] On 25 April 1978 the LTTE issued an open letter, which was published in the Virakesari, claiming responsibility for the assassination of eleven people including Duraiappah.