Pro-LTTE temple accused of providing rough justice

(August 19, London, Sri Lanka Guardian) In a bizarre development at a temple in Lewisham in the South East London, trustees sympathetic to the proscribed LTTE has summarily dismissed a fellow trustee for not towing the pro LTTE line. In a hurriedly called board meeting, the pro-LTTE Chairman read out pages and pages of charges against the trustee whom they opposed.

The controversial London Sivan Temple in Lewisham came under media scrutiny on many occasions for holding secret meetings of the LTTE in the temple premises, cancelling the memorial meeting booked for LTTE slain human rights worker Late Maheswary Velautham and for providing financial assistance to the LTTE front British Tamil Forum.

The victim of the Kangaroo Court justice of the group of Trustees of the temple is the founder of the temple N Satchithananthan. According to information reaching from the temple, rough justice has been meted out to him without inviting explanations from him and even without following a transparent investigation process as part of good governance of a Charitable organisation.

Sources also confirmed some of the charges framed to dismiss the said trustee reflected the determination to remove the Trustee from the post. The pro LTTE trustees Dr. Sriskandarajah (Chairman) V.Kanesamoorthy, T. Arulthas and Mr Yogarajah (a solicitor removed from the Law Society register as legal practitioner) had swiftly moved to remove the trustee for his independent stand. Sources say temple solicitor R Sithamparapillai known as Piththa, who is said to be a pro-LTTE functionary had assisted the group of Trustees of the temple. Further inquiries reveal that Mr Satchithananthan had submitted a letter asking the fellow trustees to follow proper procedures before deciding to remove him from the post. The victim has been notified of termination but the reasons for his summary dismissal have not been provided to the victim.
- Sri Lanka Guardian