Attempt to Deface Road Mural commemorating Dr NeelanTiruchelvam on Kynsey Road

| by A Special Correspondent in Colombo

( August 03, 2012, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) About 10.45 pm late last night at the junction of Kynsey Road and Kynsey Terrace about 15 men arrived in a truck and began to deface a mural painted on the road. The mural depicts flowers painted in pastels and the words “Sanctity of Life” in Sinhala, Tamil and English. It marks the place where Dr Neelan Thiruchelvam was assassinated on 29 July 1999.

After leaping off the truck one man began throwing black oil from a bucket to cover the picture while another began throwing sand on it. A third man stood by issuing instructions. By mid morning passing vehicles had blown the sand away leaving the mural faded but still visible in places.

Since the assassination of Dr.NeelanTiruchelvam by the LTTE on 29 July 1999, the staff members of the institutions he founded, namely, the International Centre for Ethnic Studies (ICES) and the Law & Society Trust (LST), in a spontaneous outpouring of grief and loss remembered and honoured Dr. Tiruchelvam by painting this mural to mark the place where his life was snuffed out. This painting ritual was repeated annually.

In later years they were joined by staff members of the Neelan Tiruchelvam Trust, which was founded to further the values he held dear. This initiative called for the celebration of life and sought to re-affirm values which counter violence and disregard for humanity.

This process reiterated the importance of securing the sanctity of life, a principle which formed the core of Dr.Tiruchelvam’s parliamentary speech at the debate on the death penalty.

Road painting which began at the site of his assassination later spread to other parts of Colombo where similar violent acts, such as bomb blasts and assassinations had taken place. Over the 13 years since his assassination, along with staff members and friends and supporters of the institutions and of Dr.Tiruchelvam, students and artists have also participated in touching up the painting at the Kynsey Road-Kynsey Terrace junction.

A complaint was lodged at the Borella police station by the executive director of the Neelan Tiruchelvam Trust, Ms Jackie Netto Lyman on Friday. 3 August.