Arts Faculty student leader urges principled action from Jaffna lawyers

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 07 May 2019, 13:45 GMT]
The president of the Student Union of the Art Faculty at the University of Jaffna, Mr Rajaratnam Krishanth, has urged the lawyers, particularly the head of the bar association in Jaffna Ms Shantha Abimannasingham P.C., who is also the notary public Council Member of the Council of the University, to take up the wrong PTA detention of Jaffna University Student Union. The matter should also be taken up with the U.S. Embassy and other diplomatic missions in Colombo, he said. The action for releasing the JUSU leaders must be a broader one, he said. The students were awaiting the legal outcome on May 08 before initiating a struggle, he said. In the meantime, all other avenues must be pursued in parallel, he said. TNA's Sumanthiran and Civil Society activist Guruparan are already done their part, the fellow students told TamilNet.



Even ten years after the end of genocidal war on Eezham Tamils, some Western countries including the USA, UK and Canada continue with terror proscription of the LTTE alongside the religious extremist groups such as the ISIS. These countries are also answerable for Colombo's continued PTA crimes against the Tamil people in the island as the occupying Colombo uses the foreign listing to justify its actions against the Tamil people, commented activists for alternative politics in Jaffna.

The late Anton Balasingham, who was the chief negotiator of the LTTE was residing in the UK and was representing the movement until his demise in 2006, even though the LTTE was banned in the UK in 2001. The conduct shows that the British decision to ban the LTTE was purely political, they observed.

It is logical that the student community of the Jaffna University demanding the diplomatic communities to respond to the PTA detention of the JUSU leaders. The student leaders were detained for having photos of LTTE leader in a political justice context, they said. Having pictures and banners demanding international justice could not constitute a revival of the LTTE, they further observed.

It is also logical that the students demanding those representing the interests of the West to act in this regard, they said.

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In 2016, SL Prime Minister appointed a Consultation Task Force (CTF) on Reconciliation Mechanisms, comprising 11 civil society members to seek the views of the public on the proposed reconciliation mechanisms.

The mandate of the CTF was to consult members of the public on the processes and mechanisms for reconciliation in Sri Lanka and seek suggestions for the design of (1) Office on Missing Persons, (2) Truth, Justice, Reconciliation and Non-Recurrence Commission, (3) Judicial Mechanism, (4) Office of Reparations and (5) Any other mechanisms.

The CTF was chaired by Manouri Muttetuwegama. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu served as its secretary. Dr. Farzana Haniffa, Prof. Sitralega Maunaguru, Mirak Raheem, Gamini Viyangoda, Shantha Abimanasingham P.C., Prof. Gameela Samarasinghe, Visaka Dharmadasa, K.W. Janaranjana and Prof. Daya Somasundaram were the members of the CTF.

As the list reveals, the prominent CTF members are not independent actors. They run so-called “civil society” outlets which are heavily funded by the Western “Non-Governmental” Organisations, which function as the extended arm of the Western states.

The Eezham Tamils must first learn to know how to be genuinely independent in civil society activism as well as owning and operating independent media, commented activists for alternative politics in Jaffna.

Chronology: