28 Nov 2023

Gajalakshmi Paramasivam

 

THE RIGHT TO OPPOSE

 

Sunday Times: 

Before he dies, Alex in video statement explains his horror at the Vaddukoddai police station

By S. Rubatheesan

 

 

The death of a 25-year-old youth after he was arrested and allegedly subjected to severe torture by Vaddukoddai police officers during more than 72 hours of detention has sent shock waves through Jaffna, sparking a public outcry for justice.

When the magisterial inquiry over the incident began at the Jaffna Magistrate’s Court on Friday, details emerged about the arrest of the victim along with his friend, the torture methods allegedly used by police officers, and the circumstances that led to his death. A key eyewitness statement and the testimonies of several individuals were presented to the court.

Nagarasa Alex and his 20-year-old friend Suthakaran Thuvarakan were arrested by Vaddukoddai police on November 8 for their alleged involvement in a robbery. It is alleged they were subjected to severe torture while in police custody before being produced in the Mallakam Magistrate’s Court on November 12……..

 

Sri Lankan Diaspora Elder:  This brings to focus once again on the granting of police powers to the Northern and the Eastern provincial councils; it could be said that even Tamil speaking policemen too might give vent to harsh & violent treatment in handling suspects: but over the years racist politicians have been feeding the Sinhalese hoi polloi’ with the notion that Tamils have always been inimical to the Sinhalese , that they have been later immigrants from South India , in addition to having been supportive of the militants. This sentiment appears to have been ingrained in the psyche of the defence personnel to a greater extent than in the minds of the ordinary Sinhala plebs.

                                                                                If the majority of the police personnel in the North - and in the East - are Tamil speaking, one can expect a better rapport being established between the apprehended suspects & the arresting policemen. There would not be a communication gap so that a suspect might be able to explain his position - why & wherefore of his particular situation at a given time, say at nightfall or in an environment where there  had been a scuffle etc. If the 800 constables selected to serve in Jaffna , Mannar, Mullaitivu & Kilinochchi are given only batons and not rifles, then the central government would be able to get rid of its myopic perception of the Tamil police force becoming the nucleus of a nascent militant movement!!!

 

 

Gaja: It is hurtful to know that this boy had suffered. I became apprehensive when I received photos from Vaddukoddai in which a Tamil militant was carrying the body of his mate as if in combat.  I felt that it could go strongly against  those who were emotional about it.  Now my fears have been confirmed. We need diplomacy now.

 

This morning I thought further about it after writing as follows to a fellow owner:

 

Gaja: It  must be an indicator from your feeling of ownership. Like minded folks naturally share their Truth with each other. Hence majority power rules, in democracy.

Also  to a Sri Lankan Diaspora Elder: 

Gaja: Truth is received by us at different levels. The form in  which we share that truth would be ours. Hence the belief that God is One, We often agitate to share our knowledge rather than our truth. Unless that knowledge has our own truth as the base, it is not ours . Hence we need to use them within quotation marks. When on the other hand, we receive the same information at a lower level of understanding but as per our experience it is true. The parallels in our Tamil community are Sri Lankan Tamils and Eelam Tamils. In terms of the Middle East crisis, the parallels are Jews and Arabs as a community on the one hand and those in Gaza on the other. The home area / the corpus is different but the feeling /soul is the same. Hence when we love one, we love All.

 

In summary, we need  to ensure that we are within the same ownership circle when we claim the Right to Oppose.  Natural Ownership is a Universal  Power. Those who fail to discipline their own community because they love them, naturally accept that group  as their home group. Then they would go through natural restructure to govern at the level of Opposition. This could be in truth higher or lower than their previous position. I presented this as follows to a New Owner:

 

New Owner : This is really interesting. I think you should put a motion in to review the capital works plan at the AGM. The members of the Committee have kept us all in the dark for too long. 

 

It is our money and we never get clear answers. It is a shame you are unable to be on the committee. I think it would be very useful for all of us to have someone who is fully competent with  our financials and also interested in full transparency.

 

Gaja: I have learnt through experience that as a minority, that I have the power of intuitive intelligence about the whole. If I became part of the official group, I would painstakingly educate them. Had they nominated me and elected me, I would have educated them. In Democracy, we need strong Opposition. Democratic power works best when the Opposition is Equal or stronger. Hence I would not become part of the official group.  Thank you for caring.

 

Some may prefer to become the official system themselves. Others may prefer to stay as part of a smaller minority group as per the official  classification. So long as we operate within our respective circles, there would be natural harmony.

In the case of the above death in custody, as per the intelligence that came to me, the rebel hierarchy invoked by the Tamil Eelam Diaspora who supported Hamas in the Gaza conflict. This is confirmed  by the following:

‘I became apprehensive when I received photos from Vaddukoddai in which a Tamil militant was carrying the body of his mate as if in combat.’

 

The diaspora becomes the medium through whom global powers are shared with their kith & kin at home. Yesterday was Great heroes’ day anniversary.  Parliamentarian Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam led a group to respect those who died fighting for Tamil Eelam. The following report was published in this regard:

 

‘Sri Lankan police prevented dozens of Tamils, including a member of parliament, from commemorating Maaveerar Naal at the site of a cemetery housing the war dead earlier today, forcing them to light lamps on the roadsides of Amparai.’

 

In the Court of Natural Justice, where Truth delivers judgment, the question of jurisdiction would need to be asked first. That question is:

 

‘Does Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam represent Eelam Tamils or Sri Lankan Tamils in Jaffna? Those who did not openly pay their respects in Jaffna, are Sri Lankan Tamils by their silence. In Vaddukoddai, where the Death in custody happened, Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam’s party is active through Mr Sugash Kanagaratnam, no such group event was reported. Hence one is entitled to conclude that in Vaddukoddai Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam’s group does not have majority power.

As per my intelligence, this is due to the heritage power of Vaddukoddai Resolution 1976. It continuously opposes armed militant power. Heritage powers are exponential.