Killed Tamil youth of postal department was an environmentalist

(January 01, Jaffna, Sri Lanka Guardian) Ketheeswaran Thevarajah, who was working in a post office in Vadamaraadchi and was killed Friday night was an environmentalist, who was protesting to scooping of sand in Vadamaraadchi that was causing environmental damages. Sometimes back, he was dispatching photographs through Facebook, showing environmental damage caused by sand-scooping in his locality. A feedback on his contribution to environmental protection has been sent to TamilNet by a reader who is a relative of him and who has seen the news of his assassination. Media sources in Jaffna confirmed that Mr. Ketheeswaran has been actively engaged in the protests against sand excavation and was instrumental in the protests held in Kudaththanai. He has also provided in-depth reports to local media on the environmental damage inflicted on his village.

Ketheeswaran Thevarajah's photos from Kudaththanai


The stretch of sand dunes in Vadamaraadchi is a unique geographical feature in the Jaffna peninsula. The sands are actually carried by long shore drift from the Indian subcontinent to Jaffna and are deposited by the Northeast winds.

Beneath the Silicon-rich sand dunes that once served glass production in Jaffna, lies Ilmenite deposits.

The sand dunes, recently scooped by politically sponsored contractors run by EPDP paramilitary in Jaffna, were generating huge sums of revenue in the name of Maheswary Foundation.

Mr. Ketheeswaran recently released photographs in the Facebook under the title “Azhivadainthu varum Kudaththanai Va’langka’l” (The resources of Kudaththanai that are being destroyed).

Ketheeswaran, a native of Kudaththanai East, has been living in Vanni and resettled in his village after the end of Vanni war.