by R. Jayadevan
(July 19, London, Sri Lanka Guardian) I had a meeting with the Chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Tamils (APPGT) Virendra Sharma MP today (16/7/2008) in the House of Commons. The purpose of the meeting was to strengthen the APPGT to incorporate the wider and the silent majority voices of the Tamil diaspora in the UK.
The meeting was very useful. I was provided a copy of an invitation for secret exhibition held by the APPGT today in the parliament in conjunction with the LTTE front British Tamil Forum (BTF). At the meeting with Virendra Sharma, I raised as to why various Tamil organizations were not invited. Though I did not get a satisfactory answer, I asked him whether I could attend. Without any hesitation he told me that I could.
I too proceeded to the exhibition room in the House of Commons. I saw a host of LTTE activists wearing British Tamil Forum badges. Some of them were known to me and upon entry to the exhibition room, I was asked to sign the attendance register. When I was about to complete the details, I was approached by a BTA man and he asked me to provide my invitation. I told him to speak to the Chairman of APPGT. But the chap was not in a listening mood and told me to leave the room.
What is noteworthy is that this meeting organized by the APPGT was managed by BTF and the BTF had the authority to ask me to leave the place without the engagement of the APPGT. The invitation published herein does not provide any mention of BTF. This is the level of LTTE involvement in the mother of parliaments standing for hundreds of years to uphold democracy and justice.
At that time Andrew Pelling MP (Conservative) entered the room and I had an engagement about the predicament I was facing. He found it awkward and did not want to engage in the dispute.
When I was outside the room speaking to some friends, I saw Keith Vaz MP coming towards the exhibition room. After initial friendly exchanges, I told him that I wanted to have a word with him. With some reluctance he agreed and we went few yards away to sit and discuss. We were followed by a BTA man and he stood in front of us to listen to our conversation.
I told Keith that I am unable to talk in the presence of the BTA man. He told me he cannot ask him to leave. I insisted that I wanted a private audience with him. He told me that he will discuss after viewing the exhibition in the parliamentary lobby.
Whilst I was in the lobby Keith Vaz came to see me. I found him very unsettled and he soon stared to level several accusations against me. He started by accusing that I was rude to his Secretary when I visited the parliament with two of my colleagues few months ago for a meeting with him. This prearranged meeting was in fact handled in a humiliating manner when Keith Vaz did not attend and got his Secretary to take notes about the purpose of the visit.
Having taken leave from work and spent our valuable time and money to attend the meeting, we were treated with contempt and we had to refuse to engage with the Secretary. Though there were strong comments to express our displeasure, we did not go to the extent of being rude to his secretary. There were no reasons or need for such behaviour. I had to tell Keith Vaz, it was he who behaved in an appalling manner by treating us with contempt.
Keith Vaz went on to accuse that I have given publicity about the dispute with him in the media. I had to tell him that it in the public interest, I had to do this and questioned as to what made him to write to me calling me Dr Jayadevan when I am not a Dr. I told him it is the LTTE men who use this for some reason and this had reached his pen without any reference in my letters to him. He asked me ‘are you not a Dr?’ and then came out with the trivial excuse that ‘I sign so many letters and it could be a mistake’.
Our discussions became heated and I asked Keith why he is not using his good offices to allow me to attend the exhibition. He flatly said I do not have an invitation. I said I was asked by the Chairman of the APPGT to attend. He said I should have got an official invitation from him. When I told that the Chairman Virendra Sharma did not know about the exhibition until lately and that I was told Keith was the man behind the organisation of the event he laughed. I too flatly told him that it appears that he is acting as the shadow chairman of the APPGT. I further said BTA is a LTTE front and he is supporting the LTTE.
He immediately threatened that if I publish this anywhere he will serve me with a legal notice. Then I realized it is meaningless to engage any further and I wanted to shake hands and leave the place. He would not offer his hand and stood static. I said good bye and left the place.
- Sri Lanka Guardian
(July 19, London, Sri Lanka Guardian) I had a meeting with the Chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Tamils (APPGT) Virendra Sharma MP today (16/7/2008) in the House of Commons. The purpose of the meeting was to strengthen the APPGT to incorporate the wider and the silent majority voices of the Tamil diaspora in the UK.
The meeting was very useful. I was provided a copy of an invitation for secret exhibition held by the APPGT today in the parliament in conjunction with the LTTE front British Tamil Forum (BTF). At the meeting with Virendra Sharma, I raised as to why various Tamil organizations were not invited. Though I did not get a satisfactory answer, I asked him whether I could attend. Without any hesitation he told me that I could.
I too proceeded to the exhibition room in the House of Commons. I saw a host of LTTE activists wearing British Tamil Forum badges. Some of them were known to me and upon entry to the exhibition room, I was asked to sign the attendance register. When I was about to complete the details, I was approached by a BTA man and he asked me to provide my invitation. I told him to speak to the Chairman of APPGT. But the chap was not in a listening mood and told me to leave the room.
What is noteworthy is that this meeting organized by the APPGT was managed by BTF and the BTF had the authority to ask me to leave the place without the engagement of the APPGT. The invitation published herein does not provide any mention of BTF. This is the level of LTTE involvement in the mother of parliaments standing for hundreds of years to uphold democracy and justice.
At that time Andrew Pelling MP (Conservative) entered the room and I had an engagement about the predicament I was facing. He found it awkward and did not want to engage in the dispute.
When I was outside the room speaking to some friends, I saw Keith Vaz MP coming towards the exhibition room. After initial friendly exchanges, I told him that I wanted to have a word with him. With some reluctance he agreed and we went few yards away to sit and discuss. We were followed by a BTA man and he stood in front of us to listen to our conversation.
I told Keith that I am unable to talk in the presence of the BTA man. He told me he cannot ask him to leave. I insisted that I wanted a private audience with him. He told me that he will discuss after viewing the exhibition in the parliamentary lobby.
Whilst I was in the lobby Keith Vaz came to see me. I found him very unsettled and he soon stared to level several accusations against me. He started by accusing that I was rude to his Secretary when I visited the parliament with two of my colleagues few months ago for a meeting with him. This prearranged meeting was in fact handled in a humiliating manner when Keith Vaz did not attend and got his Secretary to take notes about the purpose of the visit.
Having taken leave from work and spent our valuable time and money to attend the meeting, we were treated with contempt and we had to refuse to engage with the Secretary. Though there were strong comments to express our displeasure, we did not go to the extent of being rude to his secretary. There were no reasons or need for such behaviour. I had to tell Keith Vaz, it was he who behaved in an appalling manner by treating us with contempt.
Keith Vaz went on to accuse that I have given publicity about the dispute with him in the media. I had to tell him that it in the public interest, I had to do this and questioned as to what made him to write to me calling me Dr Jayadevan when I am not a Dr. I told him it is the LTTE men who use this for some reason and this had reached his pen without any reference in my letters to him. He asked me ‘are you not a Dr?’ and then came out with the trivial excuse that ‘I sign so many letters and it could be a mistake’.
Our discussions became heated and I asked Keith why he is not using his good offices to allow me to attend the exhibition. He flatly said I do not have an invitation. I said I was asked by the Chairman of the APPGT to attend. He said I should have got an official invitation from him. When I told that the Chairman Virendra Sharma did not know about the exhibition until lately and that I was told Keith was the man behind the organisation of the event he laughed. I too flatly told him that it appears that he is acting as the shadow chairman of the APPGT. I further said BTA is a LTTE front and he is supporting the LTTE.
He immediately threatened that if I publish this anywhere he will serve me with a legal notice. Then I realized it is meaningless to engage any further and I wanted to shake hands and leave the place. He would not offer his hand and stood static. I said good bye and left the place.
- Sri Lanka Guardian
 I had a meeting with the Chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Tamils (AP...){kind=link}
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