| by Rajasingham Jayadevan
( April 27,2104, London, Sri Lanka Guardian) Tamil needs comprehensive and cohesive strategies to deal with wide ranging issues when the government of Sri Lanka is extending its campaign of hate to weaken the Tamil resolve. In the process of marginalisation of the Tamils, the government finds the Tamil Diaspora thorn in the flesh. Unable to face the international focus on Sri Lanka, the government has desperately engineered an anti-Tamil Diaspora campaign to overcome its difficulties.
Issues involving the Tamil Diaspora needs to be dealt in a manner to progress its affairs without getting into unnecessary constraining tactics. The very democratic values that they enjoy in their host countries that is lacking in Sri Lanka must be harnessed to strengthen a better future for the community. With un-hindered access to resources, the very resourceful Tamil Diaspora must work to deal with wide ranging issues involving the Tamils to prove themselves a mature community.
Whilst political campaign work has progressed in a far reaching way, wide ranging issues relating cultural progress, community housing and medical issues and open ended projects to help the Tamil in Sri Lanka are priorities. Unfortunately, the thirty year old war is still having a debilitating effect on many Tamils in varied levels though they live in safe heavens. The unsettled political climate at present for the Tamils in Sri Lanka is only extending this traumatic experience. The un-mitigating behaviour in the political forefront in the diaspora confirms the barriers placed for any self respecting Tamils to come forward and contribute in a mature way. This barricade prevents much needed diversity and transparency to work as a collective community.
Whilst government of Sri Lanka is harping on the Tamils relentlessly, this has not brought about the united voice against the campaign. Instead, disparaging acts are generating internal conflicts that prevents genuine wider commonality in the approach. There are elements within the Diaspora Tamils that thrives on unnecessary hate campaigns. These elements are major stumbling block for wider engagement of talented Tamils to bring about a much needed cohesiveness and democracy.
I personally experienced the wrath of the hate mongers for over a decade and some of their campaign still continues in a much subdued way since the defeat of the LTTE in 2009. The most notorious of the hate man was Nadarajah Sethurupan who was running his show with the LTTE’s Nitharsanam website. His behaviour was extra-ordinary as he felt he could take anyone to task since he was representing the LTTE.
Publication of fabricated hate news, physically attacking the media not under the control of the LTTE, threatening by anonymous emails and telephone calls etc., are the unforgettable experience of yesteryears. The very nature of his degrading campaign earned him the nick name Dirty Sethu. With the defeat of the LTTE Dirty Sethu too lost his authority and progressively went out of the scene. He has become one of the downright anti-LTTE man as any reference to him anywhere of his LTTE links and calling him Dirty Sethu will be responded heavy handily. Threats, intimidations and all forms of complaints to the authorities will be the consequence for quoting his disturbing behaviour.
In the post 2009 climate, the remnants of the bygones are the new entrants, who are trying very hard to stamp their authority in the community. They are the next generation of the hate mongers and are attempting to put their authority in the Diaspora community. This is where the right thinking Tamil Diaspora should stand firm to avoid the repeat of the hate culture stamping its hold.
When I came to know such a situation developing after the World Tamil Web Conference hosted by the newly founded Global Tamil Association of Journalist (GTAJ) on 5 April 2014, I attempted play a role to defuse the situation. The conference was well attended and diverse views of the Tamil community were represented- a much needed move to bring about cohesion in the Tamil media circle. Within few hours of the conference ending, photographs of the organisers and the media heads that were not part of the LTTE links were published in a web blog portraying them as traitors to the cause. In order to avoid undue publicity to the said blog, I am not referencing the name of the blog and the individuals unjustly slammed by the maverick author.
I wrote to the blog author Mr Sinnaiah Santhiramoulesan (Moulesan) expressing my concerns and also engaged in telephone conversations to find an end to his mission. I regret having engaged with him as he is no different to the very same Dirty Sethu. The man could not give regard to my sincere intention and went on to publish what I wrote to him and my photograph in his blog.
My research about him and my telephone conversation gave me a fair knowledge about him and his modus operandi. He is a former employee of Kankesanthurai cement factory and had reflected behavioural difficulties at work. Before he left Sri Lanka in 1984, he had a violent encounter with his Manager at work. The manager who was a Tamil had asked the employees not to talk Eelam politics at work. This had provoked Moulesan who went to the extent of smashing the windows and furniture in the Manager’s office with a metal rod. 56 year old Moulesan who is currently working for the London Underground will knowingly go to any extent as he has nothing to lose from his campaign.
This is one of the major impediment that Tamils have to deal with in addition to very many constraints placed on the way for any right thinking person to involve in the Tamil campaign work.
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