13 February, 2025

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‘Any Indian Citizen Can Detain Douglas Devananda If He Trespasses Into Indian Waters’

By TWL Bureau – theweekendleader.com- 

Douglas Devananda

Sri Lankan Minister Douglas Devananda’s reported threat to cross into Indian territorial waters with 5000 Sri Lankan fishermen to protest against alleged poaching by Indian fishermen in Sri Lankan waters has once again raked up the demand for arrest of the minister in Tamil Nadu, where he is wanted in connection with a 1986 murder case.

Advocate P Pugazhendi, who had recently filed a petition in the Madras High Court seeking direction to the State Home Secretary and the Director General of Police to take steps for issuing a Red Corner Notice by the Interpol against the minister, said the Tamil Nadu police should make efforts to secure him when he attempts to enter Indian waters illegally.

“When he is leading an agitation of this nature, he does not enjoy the diplomatic immunity that he enjoys as a minister. It is an opportunity for the Tamil Nadu police to arrest him and make him face trial in the 1986 shootout and murder case,” he said.

Pugazhendi also added that since Devananda is a proclaimed offender, any Indian citizen could apprehend him and hand him over to the police.

Devananda, leader of Eelam People’s Democratic Party and an ally of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, was involved in a neighbourhood brawl in Chennai and opened fire at a crowd on November 1, 1986.

One person was killed and four others were injured in the shootout. A case was registered against him. He was arrested and later released on bail in January 1987.

In 1988 another case was registered against him on charges of kidnapping a ten-year-old boy and demanding a ransom of Rs.7 lakh. He was subsequently detained under the National Security Act.

Pugazhendi had filed a petition seeking the court’s directions to arrest Devananda, when he visited India in June 2010.

However, the external affairs ministry had told the Madras High Court that the minister cannot be arrested as he enjoyed diplomatic immunity.

The ministry also submitted that if Devananda was arrested while on a state visit, it would affect relations between the two countries.

It also told the court that India does not have any extradition treaty with Sri Lanka. – with inputs from IANS

Latest comments

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    It is said that there is no extradition treaty by and between India and Sri Lanka according to the above news article. Simple! just get the Indian Intelligence operatives (RAW) to bundle him out like how our Intelligence Officers bundeled out KP from Malaysia to Bangkok to Sri Lanka. I fail to understand there are so many gullibles living amongst us in this day and age.

    • 0
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      No.
      It’s a clever strategy.
      Douglas is and would be a bigger embarrassment/headache to Mahinda Rajapakse than if he was incarcerated.
      Leave Douglas alone.
      Enough said!

  • 0
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    Clever for the naive to believe that it is possible to bundle people from other countries and bring them home. Why? there are no Immigration formalities and faccilities in those countries? Can any outside force even RAW to abduct Douglas from Sri Lanka, through our Immigration although we are a small country? No certainly not. The truth is KP was provided escort and protection after he gave himself to our Intelligence Officers after the remaining LTTE in Puthukudiirippu were massacred and he was brought under heavy security and kept at Visumpaya as a VIP since, till he gets appointed to the North as the Chief Minister in MR’s election style. KP knows exactly what went on at ground level of the massacre of those who tried to surrender with white flags and he is a party to the plot with MR, for him to aspire leadership. KP therefore is safe in the hands of MR as otherwise he is a prime target for the remaining LTTE who knows that he betrayed the Tamil cause for his own interest.

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    This man narrowly escaped Welikadda attack during Black July 1983, in a cell with other 3 detainees, other 2 were killed among hundred of others. This was a state organized killing of political prisoners under JR´s administration and organized by Athulathmudhali, which was unique for SL and disqualified JR as a statesman as qualified him as a sinhala chauvinist

    Douglas was the military commander of EPRLF under Padmanaba (even Dayan Jayathilake was nominated and elected by EPRLF for Eastern Council) and soon after this incident in India Padmanaba and EPRLF central committe “ordered” “a public hearing” and Douglas left EPRLF and formed EPDP

    Joining GoSL could have lots of explanations such as surviing, not being eliminated by LTTE etc.,

    For Tamils his role has a different meaning….

    Even he believed MR would implement 13th ammendment, like DJ, Karuna, KP, Pillayan, PLOTE and other cooperates, at least they believed GoSL is going to offer a solution after defeating LTTE.

    But MR and his family think they do not need a compromise

    Now all these Tamil collabarators plays a role as traitors of Tamils

    The most Tamil people hated LTTE, but they did not have any other alternative.

    Coming back to the topic, there were no reasons to shoot civilians in Tamil Nadu, this is a crime and he has to accept the procedures.

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