My immediate thoughts on her writing was to seek legal remedy, but considering the wider issues of legal costs and unrecoverable award of damages by the court I thought of responding in kind by writing this piece.
by Rajasingham Jayadevan
(November 13, London, Sri Lanka Guardian) My write up ‘Imelda's comment hurtful and unacceptable’ published in the Sri Lanka Guardian (click here to read) based on news reported in the Colombo media and facts gathered from the victims and respectable visitors to Jaffna came under critical analysis by Gaja Luxshmi Paramasivam (Click here to read) and a hate attack by a gutter journalist Pearl Thevasagayam (click here to read).
Gaja Lushmi Paramasivam gave an enlightening mature analysis to criticise the article in a responsible manner without causing any personal hurts or provocations.
I will limit my comments to Gaja Luxshmi Paramasivam’s analysis on the issues I have referred to in my write up published. I will be responding to her comments without touching on the Hindu religious story, the meditation viewpoints or touching on any philosophies as I too can make many citations of proverbs, quotations, religious and epical stories to justify what I was saying in my write up. If I take the route of using illustrations, I will be first visiting Kurukshetram in the Mahabharatham and thread through the Lord Krishna’s advise of Arjuna Uvacha’s.
I will be responding to the tirade of Pearl Thevasagayam in a manner that she will understand and let me now respond to the issues that gave birth to the improper attack by the said gutter journalist. I also make reference to G Paramasivam’s comment herein.
Imelda Sugumar’s comments came under criticism based on what was widely reported in the media. The media reported her comments as the Jaffna Government Agent’s comment and for example an extract of a report stated: ‘The Government Agent, Imelda Sukumar who was the Mullaitivu GA during the war, …. vehemently denied claims that those who crossed over from LTTE controlled areas to Government controlled areas carrying white flags were fired at by the army during the height of the war.’ The media reporting of the GA evidence was not recorded as evidence of a private citizen, Imelda Sugumar.
My comments were based on what was reported and both Gajaluxmi Paramasivam and the sewage journalist Pearl Thevasagayam failed to address this. No sooner when I read the press release of Imelda Sugumar published in the ‘Thenee.com’, I did a translation and sent to the Sri Lanka Guardian.
In her press release titled ‘I am not playing politics’ Imelda Sugumar had stated ‘When I gave evidence before the LLRC, I clearly stated that I will only give evidence about incidences until January 22.’ This was not reported in the wider English language media and the GA too failed to respond to the tainted media reports promptly to highlight the restrictive date she claimed at the LLRC. But she became annoyed when the news published was critically analyzed by the concerned persons. If I was privy to the qualification of GA’s evidence, I would not have critically dissected her comments reported in the media.
The self promoting journalist Pearl Thevasagayam’s write up went on to qualify GA’s comment further that ‘no civilians were killed’. This gave room to reflect the distortions in her write-up.
With reference to the comment that I did not reveal the names of the parties involved in the white flag surrender negotiation, I was determined that I should not reveal some of the names as they will be party to any international inquiry on this issue. I have made my submission to the UN panel on this and have revealed all their names.
Then the issue of not revealing the names of the victims of bad dealings at the Jaffna Kachcheri, once again I did not reference any of the names of the victims and witnesses, knowing very well of the culture of retribution by the defence establishment and the paramilitary groups and the impunity enjoyed by them. I have direct evidence of taxation on the sand selling by a paramilitary group and also have evidence relating to awarding of development contracts to the friends of commission Kaaka’s.
Further, it was widely reported that a minister cum paramilitary leader and a TNA parliamentarian is involved in the tampering of deeds and selling properties illegally in Jaffna. To this date, despite their names being published, none had refuted the claim.
Those who have dealings with the Government Agent’s office have first hand knowledge of officially collecting funds for Minister cum paramilitary leader Douglas Devananda’s Late Maheswaray Velautham’s trust fund. No official disclaimer has been made to counter the alleged corruption by the named individuals.
Unfortunately, in her writing the self promoting journalist of confused and conflicting frame of mind Pearl Thevanayagam had taken a paranoiac approach to vilify me and beat me below the belt with her appalling harangue of falsehood about my background. It is clear from her writing she suffers from some serious personality disorder to go around the bush to personify me in a rudimentary manner.
My immediate thoughts on her writing was to seek legal remedy, but considering the wider issues of legal costs and unrecoverable award of damages by the court I thought of responding in kind by writing this piece.
Pearl Thevanayagam did not spare even the well mannered writing of Gaja Luxshmi Paramasivam. As though she has to be the sole defender and the patron saint of Mrs Imelda Sugumar, she did not even respect the views of Gaja Luxshmi Paramasivam who too had taken the same line like her to defend Imelda Sugumar.
Pearl Thevasagayam starts with her tirade, with her first face to face meet with me and states: ‘Jayadevan whom I have met during a panel discussion on media censorship in Sri Lanka at the Frontline Club in London …..he had credentials as journalist in that he was one-time editor of Tamil Guardian.’ She reflected her annoyance of my participation to some of my colleagues at the venue for reasons beyond my comprehension.
If she is so naïve about my background, I can only tell her that my writings have been published in many media including the Weekend Express she was employed before coming to the United Kingdom. I never claimed at any forum or even privately that I have held any positions paid or unpaid as a journalist, but let me put the accuser’s mind at ease, I always say that I am the founder of the Tamil Guardian, Viduthalai Tamil newspaper and was the director of the Hotspring. My write-ups and comments were published in these organs too, in addition to Far Eastern Economic Review and the Kensas City Express.
Hope she will bear in mind that the Editor of Tamil Guardian I founded, was the well known M Vasantharajah and the Hotspring, the veteran journalist S Sivanayagam. These could have been obtained by any journalists with a dial of the phone to any well informed Sri Lankan source in the UK.
Her tirade goes further and the next rant states: ‘These two (myself and Gaja Luxshmi Paramasivam) are among those who collect funds for forming various NGOs on behalf of the Tamil diaspora.’ To justify her psycho centric comment, she further rants: ‘I have not met Ms Paramasivam but she appears to be the side-kick for Jayadevan.’ Let me help clear Perl Thevasagayam’s redundant mindset that neither I have known Gaja Luxshmi Paramasivam until I read her write up, nor she have been my side-kick to collect funds (that I never collected) for any NGOs or any organisations on behalf of the Tamil Diaspora. Her bluster is such that she must be suffering from hypertension when she wrote her latest piece for the Sri Lanka Guardian to discharge her depraved state of mind.
Her rant is endless and she goes on further to state: ‘he was also targeted by the LTTE for mis-appropriating their funds for a temple in London’. Clearly she wants to start running her viraginous marathon from where Dirty Sethu, Rowdy Rajan, Emdon Seevaratnam, Chungan, Pukkaiyan and many other taunts had ended, just few years ago.
Let me tell the ill-conceived journalist of crassest level to visit the temple I represent once and speak to all those involved before further making her absurd, lunatic and insinuating comments at ease. The pompous writer has no other preoccupation than self promoting her ego centric and corrosive journalism of sewage nature even to the extent promoting of her: ‘I have at least five NGOs based in London who have invited me to attend their meetings’. What relevance does this comment have to my write up that has irritated the ignoramus gutter journalist? Before going to these NGO’s, the writer should first seek penitence from any reliable source that could liberate her from her depraved behavior.
Pearl Thevasagayam goes on to lambaste both G Paramasivam and me that: ’The Tamil diaspora and wealthy Tamils in Sri Lanka should be wary of these scoundrels’. It is a worthy comment if she makes it in front of a mirror standing with her Chungan friend of Walthamstow. This is Kassippu driven journalism and one could imagine what she can rant when she intakes more of the lethal Kasippu with the Chungan.
I hope Pearl Thevasagayan will desist from writing any more of her nauseating and unprovoked rants in the future.
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