Questions raised over ‘double-edged conduct’ of ITAK on Kanniyaa affairs

[TamilNet, Thursday, 25 July 2019, 19:08 GMT]
Just a day after TNA (ITAK) Parliamentarian and President’s Counsel M.A. Sumanthiran made a sudden legal move of securing interim orders from the courts in favour of Tamil concerns regarding the heritage site of Kanniyaa, Mr Kugathasan, a coordinator of the party in the district, has caused controversy by meeting the extremist Sinhala Buddhist monk at Velgam Vihara on Tuesday. The coordinator of the so-called mega-development of Trincomalee, which has been conceived by an extremist Sinhala nationalist politician, Patali Champika Ranawake, was meeting the monk with a pro-Sinhala group of Tamils aligned with the JVP along with the controversial outfit calling itself “Raava'na Senai”. The latest move has raised several questions, says Vipooshan Chandirarajah, who is an elected Councillor of Trincomalee Town and Gravets Divisional Council (PS).

The surprise move by M.A. Sumanthiran at the courts was widely appreciated by the Eezham Tamils.



The notable participants at the meeting were members of ‘Ravana Senai’, which has been either groomed or hijacked by the SL or Indian Intelligence Establishments to become a pro-Buddhist and anti-Muslim Tamil outfit in Trincomalee. Another controversial party to the meeting were Tamil Medical Practitioner Hemachandran Kumarasamy Iyer and his wife, who are the parents of Arun Hemachandran, the district organiser of the Sinhala nationalist JVP.

Senior Journalist Thirumalai Navam and some other medical practitioners were also present at the meeting with Ampitiye Seelawansa Tissa Thero, the Sinhala Buddhist extremist monk at Velgam Vihara.

The ITAK circles explained that the ‘delegation’ went to convince the monk to conduct Aadi Amaavaasai (the new moon of the Tamil month July-August) rituals at the locality without trouble.

However, the way the meeting had taken place and the personalities involved has cast severe doubts on the credibility of the ITAK, which is playing Quisling politics on the one hand and seeks to sustain its reputation among the Tamils.

The move was uncalled for, Mr Vipooshan Chanirarajah told TamilNet on Thursday.

The SL Police must implement the interim orders of the court, and they must make sure that Aadi-Amaavaasai is observed peacefully at the venue, he said. The SL Police did the same last time after securing an interim order in favour of the monk. The police were blocking Tamils. Now, it is their turn to prevent the Sinhalese, he said.

It is not possible to expect any change in the conduct of the SL bureaucracy, which was backing the agenda of the Sinhala Buddhist extremists, he further said.

In the meantime, Mrs Ganesh Kokilaramany, the landowner and trustee of the Saiva temple, said she was happy with the interim orders.

The next hearing is scheduled to take place on 29 August.



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