A member of the Election Commission, Prof.S. Ratnajeevan H. Hoole has been intimidated by the police, a highly placed source closed to the Speaker and the Chairman of the Constitutional Council told Colombo Telegraph.
Police officer Wanninayake speaks to Prof Jeevan Hoole’s elder brother Dr. Rajan Hoole with Black Maria like vehicle (WP LF 0711) and armed police
According to a complaint made by Prof. Ratnajeewan Hoole, mid-morning on 16th August, an armed police party called at the home of Prof. Hoole in Jaffna and wanted to take him away to the Jaffna police station under an old warrant issued in 2011 at the instigation of Douglas Devananda that everyone knew was vindictive. “There is no doubt that the attempted arrest was triggered by Prof. Hoole’s role as an outspoken member of the Commission and DIG Jaffna knew about it,” the source told Colombo Telegraph.
In the complaint Prof Hoole said: “The police came to my home today with a warrant for my arrest. They know who I am. There is even a (long-forgotten) sign up book at my gate for police patrols from when I joined the Commission. My house is in front of the Department of Education, a church, and a government school besides being next to a church school. The incident attracted much public attention – I feel that the Election Commission is being demeaned by publicly making out that I am a criminal. After all, how can a criminal be responsible for elections? As I detail below, the incident has evoked much fear in me on whether the Election Commission can be independent and in my wife and children on whether we can be safe in Sri Lanka.”
As Prof. Hoole says in his letter, the incident is troubling when this happens just after he challenged the police working in Sinhalese in the North and East and the Commission invoking Article 33(1)(d) of the Constitution on the duty of the President to heed the advice of the Election Commission and giving advice to the President on the postponement of election
“Democracy has been under attack before, but there was always spirited resistance. In the 1980s for example, Jayewardene never had a moment of peace. There was always a spirited opposition, in parliament and outside. Even in the worst times there were great parliamentarians, whom people of all communities could look up to and trust – H. Sri Nissanka, T.B. Subasinghe, Senator Nadesan and Sarath Muttetuwegama immediately come to mind. Cross over has become so much a disease that the majority of MPs have no set position between government and opposition, and are awaiting the right price. Never have the pledges of politicians and their words been so empty, and they don’t care,” the source said.
“The expectations from the revolution of 2015 were great and changes in the structure of commissions held out promise. One of them was the new Election Commission with three members taking joint responsibility for decisions. It was harder to control by visible and invisible pressures, than a commission of one. The present Commission has resisted political pressures and fought against postponement of elections. This incident describes an insidious attempt to muzzle it. If the nation is to sustain itself, democracy can never become meaningless. Every tier that holds it in place must be fought for before it is too late,” the source further said.
We publish below the official complaint by Prof Ratnajeevan Hoole:
88 Chemmany Road
Nallur,
Jaffna.
16 Aug.2017.
Hon. Karu Jayasuriya, Speaker and Chairman of the Constitutional Council
H.E. Maithripala Sirisena, President
Hon. Ranil Wickremesinghe, Prime Minister
Hon. R. Sampanthan, Leader of the Opposition
Hon. (Dr.) Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe P.C, Minister of Justice
Hon. Sagala Ratnayaka, Minister for Law and Order
Mr. Pujith Jayasundara, Inspector General of Police
Respected Sirs,
Police Harassment in the North, Demeaning Respect for the Election Commission
Demeaning the Election Commission
While people in the South are used to our police treating them with the respect owed to citizens, it is very different in the North. Bear with me as I explain please.
I am a member of the Election Commission. The police came to my home today with a warrant for my arrest. They know who I am. There is even a (long-forgotten) sign up book at my gate for police patrols from when I joined the Commission. My house is in front of the Department of Education, a church, and a government school besides being next to a church school. The incident attracted much public attention – I feel that the Election Commission is being demeaned by publicly making out that I am a criminal. After all, how can a criminal be responsible for elections? As I detail below, the incident has evoked much fear in me on whether the Election Commission can be independent and in my wife and children on whether we can be safe in Sri Lanka.
Kayts Incident
The police purported to act on an old 2011 warrant when a Minister of the then government, Hon. Douglas Devananda, filed false criminal charges against me in retaliation for reporting election irregularities of the then government in July 2011; this included the harassment of opposition candidates, police jeeps going about without number plates, and the President’s double life-size poster placed inside polling stations in Kayts. It was falsely alleged that I aggravated government supporters and thereby instigated a riot. Hence the charges were criminal charges.
I was served with summons in the form of a letter; however, in the letter my name was misspelt and the legal procedures had not been accurately followed. I was advised by different lawyers to flee because the said summons were not proper and because they feared the culture of political fomented in Kayts by the then government. Flee I did, and the open warrant was issued.
Return to Sri Lanka and Disappointment
I returned on 26 Aug. 2015 as soon as the new government was elected. I welcomed the changes promised and felt I ought to return to show confidence as a Tamil at a time the new government promised reconciliation and the restoration of law and order. I was elated that the 100 point program promised restoration in office to those victimized. The President in a special speech in Parliament on 1 Sept. 2015 promised a red carpet welcome to those of us returning to build a united Sri Lanka.
On arrival in Colombo on the 26th, I went straight from the airport to court in Kayts, reporting there on the 27th. I was released on bail with my brother and daughter standing surety, and the warrant was recalled. The Kayts OIC issued me a letter saying that the warrant was recalled.
The judge initially in charge, Hon. Lenin Kumar, had written to the AG saying the case had no legal standing but did not wish to throw out the case on his own authority because he was known to me from church and school. The AG’s department simply returned the file without comment. It was the first indication to me that not all was well with the 2015 revolution. It seemed that the AG was afraid that the old regime would return and was reluctant to act.
I tried to be restored in the university position that was my due from which I had been kept out chiefly owing to victimization by the EPDP-controlled Council at Jaffna University, where too returnees after the war in 2009 had been promised a welcome by the then President. Despite new appointments to the Jaffna Council in July 2015, the old regime in Jaffna University and stonewalling on allegations into administrative abuse in appointments still continued. Despite having served with academic and administrative distinction as senior professor in Engineering at Peradeniya, the selection committee appointed by the new council in Jaffna, found me unqualified even to be Senior Lecturer. I mention this only to point out that the resources available to give this country and the war-torn area in need of upliftment and new hope, are being sacrificed to corruption and vindictiveness thrown up by an old order and a lack of will in the new.
After several court appearances spanning the past 2years, at each of which the new magistrate asked the police for evidence of where the alleged riot started. Month after month when the police asked for time to complete investigations, Hon. A.M.M. Riyal dismissed the case against me, writing in his judgement dated 16 Jan. 2017 that he had seen no evidence of an investigation [whether into the politically instigated complaint against me or about the election abuses I reported, which triggered the complaint] into the charges and doubted there ever was one. The police were visibly livid that day.
Incident today (16 Aug. 2017)
It was the warrant from 2011 that the police brought to justify my arrest. Around mid-day, two policemen arrived at my residence on a motorbike (police ID numbers: 46073 and 39447). One of the two policemen, who could barely read Tamil, kept asking for a yellow receipt that would have been given to me when I reported to court. The other seemed rude and angry, shouting over the gate that if I did not produce the yellow slip he would take me to prison. I told them that, though I did not have a yellow slip, the case judgement dismissing the charges should be ample evidence that the warrant was not valid. After all, there could have been no judgement without my reporting to court. I showed them the court judgement with the original court stamp dismissing the case, noting that the reference (B157/2011) was the same as on the warrant. I further suggested that any documentation should also be held by court, and a simple follow up should settle any confusion. It was to no avail as they did not read Tamil and seemed uneducated in legal procedures and angry that I knew no Sinhalese although under article 24 of our constitution Tamil is the language of administration in the North and East.
By now a crowd had gathered. My brother Rajan Hoole also came, soon followed by my Assistant Commissioner and driver. The two policemen continued to insist that I should go with them to the Jaffna Police Station. I refused to go with them because they had no legitimate reason to arrest me and it would have demeaned the Commission. I also said police stations are dangerous places and alluded to the Human Rights Commission saying so, and to recent arrests of high ranking police officers for collusion in murder cases. They then brought in additional policemen with machine guns in a vehicle to take me away in. I asked why the machine guns but received no answer.
It was an attempt to place me under effective arrest without a warrant or a charge sheet and in contempt of court. It is the business of the police to do their homework and no citizen could legitimately be expected to carry details of encounters with the police and the courts around to be produced instantly. That is not the citizen’s business, particularly when he is innocent of any offence and the court has said so. Any police officer should know the gravity of acting in contempt of court.
In the meantime, I had contacted the Election Commission. Chairman Mr. Mahinda Deshapriya thereupon contacted police headquarters and in turn DIG North was contacted. I asked the police at my house to call up the Jaffna Police Station, which they refused. Then one Mr. Wanninayake (31417), I believe at the rank of Inspector and a seemingly decent person, asked me to get into the Maria and I refused again saying the police station is a dangerous place for us Tamils. Then he asked me to come in my vehicle, which again I refused. He finally contacted Jaffna Police Station and soon left apologizing.
The state of law and order in the North is very unsatisfactory. No one in Colombo would accept the police coming home with machine guns and speaking alanguage they do not understand, and then trying to effect an arrest without any charges. If this was a genuine effort, did they not even think that a 6 year old warrant may be totally out of date as it was in this case? Why send non-Tamil-speaking officers who could not read a judgement in Tamil to recognize the warrant as irrelevant?
Preserving the Revolution of 2015
I think you would understand the general insecurity felt by the people in the region when a member of the Election Commission could be treated in this manner. It should not be the experience of any innocent person living with his wife and daughters to have armed policemen descending on his home out of the blues with machine guns, and harassing him like a criminal (although even criminals deserve more respect than I have seen them given here but I digress).
Of particular relevance is why the police suddenly dug up an irrelevant warrant from 6 years ago. Do they not check with the issuing court whether it is still valid after 6 years? Is it the indictment of the police by the Kayts judge? There surely is more to it.
The government ought to do something if the revolution of 2015 is to have any meaning to us, the people of Sri Lanka. Somehow, this incident today has already reached the Prime Minister’s ears and he has conveyed to me the assurance that there is concern at the very top and action is being taken with suitable instructions having been given to Hon. Sagala Ratnayaka, the Minister for Law and Order. He has said this will never happen again. I sincerely thank the Prime Minister.
However, this matter is far deeper than one man’s problems. Punishing those responsible allows the same unfair structure inimical to Tamils to continue. High profile people will have their problems solved case by case. The vast majority will continue to suffer. I respectfully ask for structural change.
In my case alone, we should make an active effort to bring in a Tamil-speaking police force at least for the North and East, have better ‘service orientation’ among the police, make sure the police are educated on at least the basic law and human rights, and ensure accountability and transparency in following up complaints of police corruption and intimidation.
Further, I have been publicly insulted and with me, the Election Commission would wonder if there is a message in this for us. Firm action in the form of a public apology to the Commission is necessary. Without it, the Commission would always wonder if our voicing opposition to the postponement of elections, and advising the president under article33(1)(d) on the duty of the President to act on the advice of the commission on creating proper conditions for free and fair election, would lead to another similar incident.
Respectfully,
Prof. S. Ratnajeevan H. Hoole
Member, Election Commission
CC: Election Commission
APPENDIX
Related to the foregoing, I also raise the issue of the connected case of travel on the A9 and the problems from the Police functioning in Sinhalese in the North and East.
Culture of Police Bribery in the North
I am currently in an ongoing case challenging a speeding ticket received while travelling the A9, a road described by Rajasingham Jayadevan in the Sri Lanka Guardian (7 Feb. 2013) as the Bribery Highway to the North. In this ongoing case, I challenge the corruption of police which I am forced to witness during my frequent travels. As described below, there have been many incendiary remarks and actions by the police, who are not accustomed to having their authority challenged. One court officer has threatened me, while numerous policemen have yelled and glared threateningly at me and my family. Could this case be related to the withdrawn Open Warrant from 2011 being suddenly dug up today?
I have been stopped several times on the A9 during my weekly trips to Colombo on Election Commission business. On these many stops, the vast majority have been ‘addressed’ by my drivers. While I myself pay the fines when the driver truly made a mistake, I have never paid, nor condoned the paying of, bribes. My drivers, however, take it with a smile – one even boasts of carrying money in Rs.20 notes and forking out Rs. 300 in 20 rupee notes when asked for Rs. 500. The policeman could not count in public the numerous notes that had been given to him surreptitiously in front of the watching public and my driver escaped paying Rs. 300. Here are some examples:
1. A member of the Assemblies of God, as recounted by his Pastor, near Puttalam accelerated from a 50 kmph zone as soon as he saw the 70 kmph sign but before he had reached the actual sign. Clocked at 56 kmph, he refused to pay the Rs. 2,000 bribe demanded by the policeman. The policeman wrote “Reckless Driving at56 kmph above the posted speed limit of 50 kmph” or words to that effect in Sinhalese. The Christian, unable to read Sinhalese, went away thinking the ticket was just for speeding and realized the actual charge only later. He pled guilty and paid the fine rather than face further harassment as advised by his Puttalam lawyer.
2. A bus owner whom I have befriended through frequent trips told me that he collects Rs. 40,000 from passengers. It costs him Rs. 12,000 per trip for diesel – and then driver Rs. 2,500, conductor Rs. 2000, wear and tear Rs. 5000, route permit Rs. 3,000, and leasing of bus Rs. 5,000. His basic cost is Rs. 29,500 per trip from Jaffna to Colombo or vice versa. On top of this he pays about Rs. 1500 per trip to the police, when they falsely accuse him of speeding or try to find faults like bald tyres, a route sign not visible etc. He thus makes Rs. 10,500 a day, leaving out sudden expenses like a tyre burst which can cost him Rs. 60,000. Taking the bus on 12 July night, I tried to peer by the side of the bus. The conductor went to the rear end of the bus where he makes the payment as if showing the vehicle documents. This happened 7 times on that trip, with Rs. 300-500 per stop. The driver reluctantly admitted to me that this is what he does, adding that if there are no faults he has to pay nothing. The bus owner, my friend, also confirmed this.
3. I was recently stopped while driving 60 kmph ina 70 kmph zone on the A12 (approximately 14 km towards Anuradhapura of Puttalam (at Karuwalagaswewa). The policeman who stopped me showed me a radar reading of 80 kmph. I was asked to pay the spot fine, which is written only in the English version of the temporary licence they give, and which is never to be paid to the police. The very words “spot fine” mean it is to be paid then and there as if to suggest that those who read English pay the police on the spot. The Tamil version speaks of leverage (thendam) rather than a fine (thandanam) as if to suggest leveraging an immovable policeman through a bribe. I declined the spot fine, accepted the ticket, and had a friend in the Commission at Anuradhapura pay the fine at the Post office to avoid the hassle of my having to go back to Puttalam.
Subsequently, due to the frequency and blatancy of police corruption, I have been urged by the Commission not to drive to avoid the problems of corrupt policemen making money like this on the A9. This makes it difficult for me to work.
Mankulam Police and Physical Threat
On 26 June, 2017 I could not get a driver and was forced to drive myself from Jaffna to Colombo for an Election Commission meeting. While driving at 67kmph just South of Muruhandy, I was stopped by the Mankulam Police who showed me a radar reading of 83 kmph. I will not get into details because the matter is sub judice, but, frankly, I was fed-up with this corrupt police culture which sets only two options – paying the police or returning to isolated places to retrieve my licence after paying the fine.
This time, fed up with putting up as I am expected to, I drove straight to the Mankulam police station where I filed a complaint. The police were reluctant to take down my complaint and advised me three times to pay the fine of Rs. 1000, telling me that it would be cheaper than fighting the fine in court. It took me almost an hour to convince them to take down my complaint, which in itself a hindrance and unethical. Yes, the lawyers and hotel and travel bills are costing me thousands – but fighting this ticket is something I need to do for the poor harassed people of the North.
I have pled not guilty. In court in Mullaitivu, I have learnt while cross-examining the policeman who issued the ticket to me in Sinhalese that the Mankulam Police Chief Marlon Perera had not even queried the policeman with the false radar reading. Such is the state of law and order in Sri Lanka.
The first court date being 13 July, I went to Colombo for the Commission meeting on 12 July by bus, not wishing to run into the thieves in uniform again. However, relevant to this letter is that I objected in court on 13 July to the police leading evidence in Sinhalese, to their writing traffic tickets in Sinhalese, and the Tamil, English and Sinhalese versions of the ticket not being consistent. Fortunately, the strict judge has followed the law by providing a translator. But the people suffer in criminal cases where the police prosecute in Sinhalese. Most cases involved fishing in prohibited areas, and selling/transporting liquor or sand. The fines are usually Rs. 1000 to 5000. If the cases were in Tamil, those charged could simply plead guilty and go away paying only the fine. When it is in Sinhalese, there is usually a Tamil lawyer whose only job seems to be to be an interpreter and for this, the accused pays a lot more than a fine. My barber’s wife who was there to pay a fine for someone, told my wife who as my witness had to sit out with her, that in addition to the fine they have to pay something to the police to avoid delays. She mentioned Rs. 12,000 when the fine was only Rs. 10,000.
The many policemen in court started shouting when I stated that policemen who cannot work in Tamil should not come to work in the North and that there is no point in upholding minor laws on speed limits while abusing the constitution’s article 24 on Tamil being the language of administration in the North and East. As I went out of court, a policeman who was in court taking care of those on remand (or was working in that area) came out, made friendly conversation and fondled my Commission ID card, asking for my name, where I worked, etc. Then, he suddenly turned grim turning off the façade of being friendly. Staring directly into my eyes, he jabbed his index finger into my chest without any words and moved away. Was it at threat? I intended reporting this to the judge but the man did not show up on the next two court dates of 20 July and 2 Aug. The next date is 7 Sept. The new incident today makes me wonder if the Mankulam police contacted their friends in Kayts and Jaffna. Or is it something worse as in the next section?
The Election Commission: Being muzzled?
The Election Commission is in a position of confrontation with the government. We have repeatedly called for elections to be held without postponement. I have written several articles on this and spoken publicly, and have been commended in Parliament by Hon. Dinesh Gunawardena. We as a Commission are in a sensitive position, having just written to HE the President with all three of us signing and invoking article 33(1)(d), which makes it the duty of the President to act on the advice of the Commission. Some friends say that this visit by the police to my home with machine guns is a signal for the Commission to be silent. Although I hope this is not the case, the situation of our country makes me wonder.
The Kayts judgement was before the police who were the prosecutors. Was the recalled warrant being used to try to arrest me not a contempt of court? Can the police who did this to a member of the Election Commission, ever be trusted to help and work under the Commission in the time of Elections as constitutionally mandated? I fear for democracy even as I hope I am wrong. That they would do what they did to me to, say, Mr.Mahinda Deshapriya, is unthinkable.
The cases of:
1) The last DIG (North) hiding a suspect with known involvement in school girl Thivya’s rape and murder,
2) The prosecution of poor people in our courts in Sinhalese in violation of the constitution, and their being forced to hire lawyers to mediate the language barrier,
3) The issuance of tickets in Sinhalese in violation of the constitution ignoring the plight of Tamils when they do not know which police station or court to go to; and
4) The rampant corruption on the A9 making it impossible for lawful people to drive while Police Chiefs like Marlon Perera ignore complaints against crooked policemen by the public all show that the police break the law frequently and cry for urgent action by the author
Jimsofty / August 20, 2017
R. H. Hoole is a Racist. He claims his generations began in Tsouth India. He should first explain how he talked to english speaking people when he was studying and working overseas. How oftern he writes to Tamil newspapers. Actually, he should notbe in the election commission. He is procliamed Tamil Racist. So, what is opinion. If a Police officer doe snot know Tamil and sinhala because, Tamils are Living there and they refuse to learn sinhala, Sinhala speaking police officer can attend to duties in the North. It is all because of dickless southern politicians. Sinhala – LGBTQ politicians are destroying the country.
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Champa / August 20, 2017
More Tamils live outside the Northern Province than inside of it. They all can speak Sinhalese. Why can’t Tamils in the Northern Province learn Sinhalese like rest of the Tamils in the country?
Mano Ganeshan should conduct Sinhalese classes in North and East for Tamils without wasting public funds to conduct classes for MPP in the Parliament which is of no use at all.
Tamils should learn the first and majority speaking language of the country which is Sinhalese. That is the first lesson in reconciliation. What reconciliation when Tamils don’t know how to speak majority language of the country? The biggest barrier in reconciliation is created by Tamils themselves.
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John / August 20, 2017
What a lie, most tamils don’t speak sinhalese, why should they. if you don’t like tamil than go back to your country. the north never belonged to the sinhalese. you are just conquerers and oppressors, one day you will pay the price for your crimes. the chinese are already taking over your country.
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Native Vedda / August 21, 2017
John
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I want both descendants of Kallathonies, Tamils and Sinhalese to go back to their ancestral motherland South India.
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Both have been constant pain in our bum for many centuries.
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When you go please take your Sinhala brethren with you.
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Jimsofty / August 21, 2017
Dumb Native Veddo: Tamil Everything is available there as a package in Tamilnadu Everything that Tamils talk here in sinhala are from South India. Including their culture and epic poems they talk about.. If you find Sinhala everything as one total package in anywhere in the world and say go there that is your homeland. Don’t be a stupid Vedda.
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John / August 21, 2017
The other John,
So, in your last sentence you admit Sri Lanka is Sinhalese’ country. The North and the East where ancient Sinhalese lived. Barbaric South Indians invaded Sinhala country and destroyed their Buddhist temples. There are still plenty of Sinhala-Buddhist archeological sites exist in the North.
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John / August 21, 2017
John the Buddhist,
“Sri Lanka is Sinhalese’ country”
From When?
Is it after 4th February 1948?
“The North and the East where ancient Sinhalese lived”
What happened to them?
Did they all commit suicide? or did they all take their bags and ran away to the South? I did not know they were cowards.
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Native Vedda / August 21, 2017
John not the Baptist nor the Buddhist
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“Did they all commit suicide?”
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The Cholas and Pandyas had them for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Then they exported their surplus to the South of this island hoping that they would convert themselves into good Buddhists.
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However Cholas and Pandyas were wrong, the surplus turned out to be the nasty little islanders who re-branded themselves as Sinhala/Buddhists. The trouble started when they wanted to fit in with others good people.
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Zealous Kallthonies needed the extra edge to convince the ordinary people.
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Kumarathasan Rasingam / August 21, 2017
Balance will be taken over by India soon. wait and see. It will be like sharing cheese by two cats and how the fox ate the whole cheese; A good example predicted by Hon. late PM. Premadasa to the racists. Now you can see stars?>
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Sinhala_Man / August 20, 2017
Dear Champa,
I have been impressed with many of your comments. I would, however, like to appeal to you to re-think some of the things you have said above.
It is not easy to learn a language, and there must be a tangible reason for doing so. Yes, promoting reconcilliation is one. However, for all my commitment in that respect, I know absolutely no Tamil. A minority person (like Mano Ganeshan) living amongst the majority community is likely to learn the extra language – but his command of Sinhala is so good that we must conclude that he has an aptitude for learning languages. Be grateful for us having Mano, whom I don’t know at all, but don’t demand it of every Tamil.
Age is another factor. This is why it is so important that we should make a real effort to teach both Sinhala and Tamil to ALL Sri Lankans – and we DO need an International Language: for many reasons, that has to be English. Let us also not expect all kids to achieve miracles in remote Mannar or Weligama. Many will be monolingual – that is what those smug SAITM kids must keep in mind – and respect.
However, even where additional languages are learnt, please don’t demand first language proficiency from a person just because he has been nice enough to make that effort. Dr Rajan Hoole and I were classmates for four years, and his fifteen years of hiding from the LTTE was manly in Sinhalese areas in the South, but he tells me that he will not trust his command of the language to try to understand complex political arguments in Sinhala. His brother, Prof. Jeevan, has had his entire schooling in Jaffna. He possibly understands more Sinhala than you and I, Champa, understand Tamil, but it can’t be much. Please also remember that he is partly making a point on behalf of other, less cosmopolitan, Tamils.
Sri Lanka has lost so much because of our foolish language policies; let us do some re-thinking!
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Nathan / August 21, 2017
Sinhala_Man,
The whole language question is repulsive and antagonistic. I have forgotten the language – The little Sinhala I knew – because I had intentionally avoided using it. ( Note: However, you won’t succeed talking ill of me, in front of me!)
*
As an individual, I haven’t lost much by my neglect. But, the country has lost. It has lost a lot. The war and destruction could be laid totally at the feet of ignorant language policies.
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The country needs a world language for us to catch up with other nations; for us to make progress.
*
Let us accept English as the PRIMARY language of learning, at every school. Have mixed schools, where Sinhalese, Tamil, and other children learn in the same class, from young. Make both Sinhala for Tamils and Tamil for Sinhalese essential to enter A/L studies.
*
Make it mandatory for the Presidency to be shared alternating. Sinhalese / Tamil, or some other healthy practice.
*
Promote brotherly pride. Remove the stigma that Tamils are not equals of Sinhalese.
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Kumarathasan Rasingam / August 21, 2017
I don’t think these people will ever change it has been fed in their mind and blood. The dirty politicians crazy for power through short cuts ruined the country and it is too late to recover even if some drastic changes are made. for this Buddhist Clergy Maha Sanga will be against: But they are not worried that the country is being sold little by little to China and India will be there to pick up the left overs. So the so called Sovereignity of Sri Lanka will be no more in future.
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Champa / August 21, 2017
Dear Sinhala man – Thank you
It looks like you misunderstood me. I didn’t criticize Mano Ganeshan. I only criticized his futile effort to teach Tamil/Sinhala languages to “Parliamentarians.” — Politicians come and go. –It is the general public who should be empowered. The dialogue should be between Sinhalese and Tamil people. Mano’s thought seems to be genuine but the mechanism he chose has no bearing on the result anticipated.
I have no issue with Mano, even Digambaram. Once I wrote the Northern Tamils should have politicians like Mano and Digambaram, not politicians like Wigneswaran, Sampanthan and Sumanthiran whose speeches and actions only widen the gap between Sinhalese and Tamils.
Every citizen should be able to speak the language spoken by the majority population. Tamil politicians in the North don’t allow Tamils living there to mingle with Sinhalese. I once suggested getting Jaffna University students engaged in voluntary work in the South and vice versa. Ordinary Northern Tamils should take part in activities in the South to minimize the gap. Then they will see Sinhalese in the South have no grudge against them. Our issue is only with separatist Tamil politicians.
What we need in Sri Lanka is new way of thinking. This lot or the previous lot governing/governed the country do not possess the practical knowledge of any issues.
One thing we must keep in mind is politicians do not want to solve problems. They want to drag problems so that they can survive their term. When the election comes, they offer new solutions to same old problems. Gullible voters swallow the bait and elect them again and again and again. This practice followed for 7 decades should be ended. Not only Sinhalese, I think even Tamil and Muslim voters are also thoroughly disappointed with their elected MPP.
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Sinhala_Man / August 21, 2017
Thank you, Champa.
Yes, I have misunderstood you – and it looks as though Native Veddah also has. I had indeed made a note of the fact that “Champa writes sense”, but what with having to distinguish among three or four Johns by means of gravitas, I guess we’ve been getting confused.
*
If you glance back at what I had written, I had imagined you to be a Sinhalese. There used to be a time when, despite my very clear identification with one social group, and one sex, it was imagined by some that I was a Tamil! Yes, let’s stand up for saying the plain, simple truth.
*
However, haven’t we all allowed ourselves to “be digressed” from the main issue facing us? We must put our full weight behind the THREE members of the Election Commission who are demanding that Elections are held on time.
Cost is sometimes cited as a factor. This is rubbish. So much squandered on maintaining unnecessary militia and all sorts of appendages; and then the waste entailed by civil commotion and arson. Postponement merely to hold All Provincial Elections on one day is eyewash. Let this government be bold, and ADVANCE elections to the other Provinces rather than postpone. We have to insist on being collectively, the Masters, and the MPP our servants.
Many thanks for your constructive and courteous response.
Cato, the Elder employed a leitmotif with a destructive motive! But in the context of this article, I think that we must end with:
“Government: Respect Our Right to Have Regular Elections!”
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Champa / August 22, 2017
Sinhala Man
I agree with you – people don’t care whether the government holds PC elections on the same day or separately, but what is important is respecting people’s democratic rights.
However, I am not very keen on having LG or PC elections. The same lot will be elected and we will have same issues. I have lost the faith in all of them. They are painfully unproductive.
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Sinhala_Man / August 25, 2017
Dear Champa,
Your comments are indeed valuable, but may I continue with this saga of half understood comments, in which you have left it to me to work out the correct interpretation. In so doing, you have treated me as being hoefully intelligent. The danger, of course was that me (and even more other readers who do not return, would get only half your message.
I now realise that you are as much a Sinhalese as I. Your main point on the central topic hrere is that Tamils residing in the South learn Sinhala, those in the North do not. Elementary, Dr Watson, I would say.
*
In the South, there is opportunity and practical necessity. A friendly relaxed climate would also help. If we want reconcilliation, we must create those conditions. We have not learnt Tamil mostly because there was no personal need, and it is difficult. Then the State must step in, and offer incentives. Means money! That is limited, so priorotise!
*
Will continue . . .
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Sinhala_Man / August 25, 2017
Continued . . .
Why didn’t Jeevan Hoole learn Sinhala when in Kaubedda? Mainly because he resented a number of things. I will expatiate on the next page in response to an unkind comment. Yours is not unkind. Now as an elderly man learning would be much more difficult – in real terms, none of usexpects it.
*
Then there is the extent of mastery. Mano Ganeshan I have hreard on T.V. We can’t expect that level from all. Let us aim at simple greetings, and, more importantly, a SMILE.
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As for what elections will throw up – I can’t but share your pessimism.
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Champa / August 26, 2017
Sinhala man
It is highly unlikely a Tamil who lived in Katubedda to not to know Sinhala. Who knows, one can pretend.
About elections – I am not pessimistic. Not at all. I am angry. I don’t want the same corrupt, unproductive lot to be elected to LGs and PCs. I am sick of double faced, corrupt, selfish politicians.
I saw a news item a few days ago. Kiriella says he wants Rs. 58 billion to build roads. 58 billion? I don’t remember the rest of the story. I assume that he goes for a loan. Seriously, who wants roads worth 58 billion? Politicians are mortgaging the country left, right and centre. The previous government brags about economic growth and growth in people’s income which were actually fueled by high volume of debt taken by them, therefore there is nothing to boast.
Ranil has paved the way for all UNP Ministers pocket out commissions. That is the reason we always hear about ad-hoc unnecessary projects from horse’s mouth itself. Corruption undermines government revenue. No sooner we will face the consequences of all high level corruption.
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Sinhala_Man / August 26, 2017
Dear Champa,
I feel that Jeevan Hoole would be able to use very basic Sinhala, but I find it quite credible to think that during his Katubedda days he would have shut the language out – deliberately. this has to be understood in terms of psychology, and it should not be our business to punish him now. I’m pretty sure that he now realises, looking back on a life in which he has had to interact with so many Sinhalese, that he regrets not having been more receptive.
http://www.focalskills.info/about-fs/low-affective-filter.html
That link is not one I have thought out as carefully as I should have, but a man of your intelligence may be able to work it out from there.
There has to be a NEED for the target language. After all, well nigh half my classmates were Tamils, but I don’t know anything of the language, because we used English. However, Rajan Hoole, can manage some Sinhala. And about my schooling, many by now have (unconsciously) forgotten what it was like. Upto Grade 5, we were officially in separate Sinhala, Tamil (and English for some) classes. However, we were (surreptitiously!) all given half our instruction in English. But classes must have been segregated, with plenty of interaction in Extra-Curricular areas.
From Grade Six upwards, it was only Science that was allowed in English, and for the O.Levels we were already streamed into Science and Arts (Commerce unheard of). this was the period of transition from English to Swabasha. For Jeevan Hoole (younger), Education would have been almost all in Tamil in Jaffna, please remember.
Although I’ve said THIS here, ther must have been individual differences. Just two days ago, I dropped in at M.D. Gunasena’s Book Shop in Pettah. The youngest son, Ananda is now 75, and a really sweet guy. He claimed that although all instruction was in English, they never talked to friends (or parents) in anything other than Sinhala.
This is what a still older (Tamil) student remembers:
http://www.island.lk/2009/07/05/features10.html
But this is only half the story!
To be continued . . .
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Sinhala_Man / August 26, 2017
Continuing:
The other half of the story is that there were two reforms of the way schools were structured, one about 1951, the other after 1956. Had Bandaranaike been allowed to go ahead with what he knew was best, the history of our country may have been different. As it is, he had allowed himself to get compromised by SOME monks (who assassinated him), and there was J.R. Jayawardena leading the march to Kandy.
What is important to remember is that Education in pre-Independence Ceylon was in English for the elite, but in the vernacular for the majority. And there wasn’t any worthwhile education for the “masses”.
Many there are now incapable of facing upto the fact that things were not perfect even then. When I went back to the Gurutalawa staff about ten years back in an attempt to resuscitate the school, an older Old Boy who was trying to contribute his advice asked if I was speaking to the teachers in English! No way, I said; I’d never speak to an adult in a language that he wasn’t comfortable with. He was furious! Actually, it was easier to communicate with even the Tamils, than in English. The top International Schools today are different.
These are just hurried responses to you, Champa, whom I see as genuinely wanting to see a united Sri Lanka. Let’s try to bring it about, but it will be slow and arduous.
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John / August 22, 2017
Dumb Champa
“Every citizen should be able to speak the language spoken by the majority population.”
The Tamils in Sri Lanka have their own Tamil speaking Territory (N&E) known as Tamil Eelam (former Tamil kingdom). When the Tamils live in other peoples land, they learn their mother tongue whatever it is, English, French, Spanish, German, Italian even Greek. Similarly, if the Tamils live in Sinhala areas they learn to communicate in Sinhala, but when they live in their own land, their former kingdom, why should they learn an unknown language called Sinhala which is alien to their homeland and good for nothing, utterly useless wasting their time on learning a tribal language like Sinhala which is not used in any part of the world and also not used in the N&E of Sri Lanka.
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Champa / August 22, 2017
John
Hey, I saw your Tamil Eelam drifting towards Tamil Nadu long time ago and vanishing in the horizon.
The more you keep Tamils in the North without letting them come out of their burrows, the more you can suppress them and make them blindly follow selfish Tamil politicians. Tamil politicians are cheating their own people. Ask from an ordinary Tamil in the North what they know about 13 plus, federal or self-rule. Nothing.
Sinhalese don’t learn Tamil just to speak with them. As I said above, there should be some arrangements for Tamils in the North to take part in activities in the South with Sinhalese. Then Sinhalese will try to at least learn few Tamil words to communicate with them.
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Jamis Banda / August 21, 2017
Sri Lanka has three main languages Sinhala, Tamil and English. Sinhala is spoken as mother tongue in two-thirds of the country (South, West and Central) by 70% of the Sri Lankan population (Sinhalese majority), Tamil is spoken as mother tongue in one-third of the country (North and East) by the Tamils and Muslims. There are also Tamil speaking Muslims and Tamils in the South, West and Central.
Tamil is also a language spoken in several parts of the world from West to East. Tamil is not only the ancient language in the world but it is also a classical language spoken by 80 million people around the world. It is spoken by a large number of Tamils in the West, in some parts of Africa, India, Sri Lanka and the Far-East. Even if you go to the mid-east without any knowledge of English, you can still survive if you know Tamil. In Sri Lanka, the Majority language in the North & East is Tamil.
Sinhala is ONLY spoken in some parts of Sri Lanka (not the whole country) by 70% of the Sri Lankan population (Sinhalese). In Sri Lanka, the Majority language may be Sinhala but if you take the world, Sinhala is an unknown language (not known to many), somewhat similar to tribal languages.
For the people in the North and East (Tamils & Muslims), Sinhala is an alien language, never spoken in their areas and not a requirement at all unless otherwise they need to go to the South for employment. Why should the people in the Tamil speaking North & East learn Sinhala? How will the Tamils accept a good for nothing language (only spoken in some parts of Sri Lanka) as their official language? What is the advantage of learning a language that is good for nothing?
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Jimsofty / August 21, 2017
Jamis Banda: go back to Tamilnadu or to some western country. In western country’s you don’t complain about the lack of Tamil as your communication medium. Instead, you converse only in englsh. when you come to Sri lanka, you people become another class. YOu can not talk in sinhala. YOu people are mentally deranged lower life forms who wants to show off. Just go back to South India, you everybody.
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Jamis Banda / August 21, 2017
Jimsothy,
The Tamils in Sri Lanka and India are different from the Tamils in other parts of the world. The Tamils are a minority in Sri Lanka but a majority in the Tamil speaking Territory (N&E) of Sri Lanka. Similarly, the Tamils are a minority in India but a majority in the Tamil speaking Territory of India. In Singapore, Malaysia, and many other countries where Tamil is also spoken, the Tamils in those countries neither had a Tamil kingdom nor have a separate Tamil speaking territory unlike Sri Lanka and India.
Sri Lankan Tamils are not just a minority but a minority with a separate territory or a territorial majority (a minority having a separate territory in which they are a majority). They had a clearly defined (Tamil speaking) territory, their historic habitat (formally Jaffna kingdom) in the North & East of Sri Lanka as their traditional homeland where they lived for several centuries as a separate nation with their own language, religion and culture until the British united the Tamil speaking North to the Sinhala speaking South in 1833 for their convenience in administration thereby reducing the Tamils to a minority and then left in 1948 without reverting back to the old federal setup that was existing.
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Native Vedda / August 21, 2017
Champa the practitioner of the oldest profession
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“More Tamils live outside the Northern Province than inside of it.”
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Could you support your often repeated bull s…. with evidence. If you can’t please stop typing imaginary tales as you go along.
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“Why can’t Tamils in the Northern Province learn Sinhalese like rest of the Tamils in the country?”
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The converted Tamil descendants speak Sinhala outside their homeland Tamil Nadu. Why can’t they learn Tamil for their own good? A good part of Sinhala vocabulary and grammar are based on Tamil. Learn another few hundred words and you should be alright with Tamil.
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Champa / August 21, 2017
Keyboard Vedda
There is a place called Department of Census and Statics of which the information published is not imaginary!
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pirabakaran- velupillai / August 21, 2017
Champa
Do you want Tamils whose language is spoken by 120 million people in the world to speak an under developed language spoken by just about 14 million fools in a corner of a little island.
You dumb arse listen up ! it is about time you learnt Tamil language which is also an Official Language in Srilanka.If you fools learnt Tamil there won’t be any misunderstanding between the Tamils and Sinhalese It will also assist the reconciliation as well.
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Champa / August 21, 2017
Machung Prabha
Of course not. I want each and every Tamil who follow your footprints leave this (in your words) “under developed little island where about one single language is spoken by 15.2 million fools” and reside in their own homeland where there are locals who speak their language.
This is my country where my language is spoken by the majority. I don’t see any reason to learn a language spoken by 120 million in the world while living in my motherland.
And about reconciliation, it is a toy-word used by Tamil politicians and some Sinhalese politicians to evade their responsibilities and obligations to address day-to-day issues faced by ordinary Tamils and Sinhalese.
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Pirabakaran velupillai / August 22, 2017
Champa
Read on my further posts to find answers to your above rants. Until the day you people understand it is us Tamils who are the nearest of Kins to you Sinhalese there wouldn’t be any peace let alone reconciliation in this Island. If you Sinhalese hate us so much why don’t we have a UN monitored plebiscite to have a vote on Tamil Independence ?
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Champa / August 22, 2017
Pirabakaran (Is this spelling correct?)
What you have told me should better be applied to you. I answered your relevant comment. You should read my other posts.
Before any reconciliation with Sinhalese (I don’t know what is lacking between Sinhalese and Tamils), Tamils live in the North should start think like the other Tamils who live in the South among us. There is a stark difference between them. Tamils who live in the South never complain about any injustice by Sinhalese. They never complain about any language barrier. They never complain about any restrictions to practise their religion. They never talk about self-rule, even federal status. In brief, your own people living in South don’t agree with you.
Tamil independence? What is that?
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Sinhala_Man / August 25, 2017
Dear Tamil Pirabakaran and Sinhalese Champa,
I can’t help feeling that you have moved pretty close to each others point of view.
Pirba, I don’t think that Champa is the worst of racists, but what he probably doesn’t understand are three factors:
1. Many Northern Tamils are poor and farmers, fishermen etc. – even among the Sinhalese such people tend to be monolingual. Perhaps it is so in all societies, world-wide. In other words, those who are born, and will die in the Northern Province, have little need for Sinhala. Let us keep it that way, and for simple administration stick to Tamil.
2. I can hardly claim to know the North, but I’ve been reading up. The Education system has probably suffered so much that getting even the second language (necessarily English) taught is a difficulty. We’ve got to demonstrate the relevance of English – or launch on a charm campaign.
3. We must stop trying to compel the learning of the third language, or at least make it palatable by desisting from insults. Champa is not doing that: look at the way Shemal Perera is thinking up new ways of insulting.
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Sinhala_Man / August 27, 2017
Dear Champa,
It is worth the effort to respond to some persons because they are serious and decent, and are willing to reason. You are one such!
However, it has now become difficult to even locate this story on CT, but I feel that you will get back here to see what other responses there have been to what you have said very seriously.
*
I have said the above because you consistently follow the points made by yourself and others, and you acknowledge the common humanity that we share with Tamils. For instance, you courteously ask Pirabakaran whether you have spelt his name correctly. And, even after a few heated exchanges, you address him “Machang Prabha”. I don’t detect nastiness, irony or sarcasm in those addresses, although both of you have used a few four letter words – which I make a point of avoiding.
*
I think that your basic premiss is correct: to live together as one world, we have to acknowledge what humans have in common – something that Donald Trump has not yet been able to understand. There was a time in my adolescence when I dreamed of a world without borders – and World Government. I now know that is plain impossible, mainly because the affluent countries cannot afford to allow us, who expect so little, to compete for employment etc.
If we are to have separate countries, it will help if there is homogeneity within a country. It is so in the Maldives, where I have taught for three years. One language, one religion. But it is now becoming impossible to run countries like that. I follow events there carefully.
I will follow up with more comments on the second page, not responding any more to Jimsofty and Shemal Perera (who are both racist and insincere; also, despite my not stating anything untrue, they are both quite sure that I’m a Tamil! There can be no reasoning with such people. ). I will respond to ” Tamil from the North” who is serious in his concerns.
If we are to defeat the crooks and the hate-mongers (two separate categories!), people from the three main communities in Sri Lanka must look for common ground, and work consistently towards the goal of re-creating a united and happy country.
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Sinhala_Man / August 25, 2017
Dear Pirbhakaran,
Yes, it would be good if you learnt a littte Sinhalese, voluntarily.
I don’t know Tamil myself, but I advocate trilingualism for the country’ s children.
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Kumarathasan Rasingam / August 21, 2017
Sri Lanka belongs to Sinhalese Buddhists, Sinhalese Christians, Tamils in the North, East and Uva & western province; If your police wants jobs in Tamil Areas why not they learn Tamil. Sinhalese and Tamil are the official language of the country. The govt. must conduct is duties, correspondence in both languages and all govt. officials police, military who work in the Tamil Areas must know Tamils
Racist uneducated frogs in the well keeps on weeping inside the well. No one care these frogs. let them go on weeping until their lings filled with water and burst.
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Tamil from the north / August 20, 2017
Jim shitty, you are a racist [Edited out]. Dr. Hoole is only standing up to speak his mind.
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John / August 20, 2017
Why are sinhalese refusing to learn tamil? it is the mother toungue of the north. if you don’t like tamils than go back to your country.
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John / August 21, 2017
The other John,
Sinhalese don’t have to speak Tamil anywhere in Sri Lanka. If Tamil don’t want to speak Sinhala, then they must take the boat ride back to their native Tamil Nadu.
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John / August 21, 2017
“Sinhalese don’t have to speak Tamil anywhere in Sri Lanka.”
You are talking about the 2/3rd Sri Lanka where Sinhala is spoken. 1/3rd of Sri Lanka speaks ONLY Tamil and nothing but Tamil. The Sinhalese have to speak Tamil if they go to the Tamil Eelam (the Tamil speaking N&E of Sri Lanka). Otherwise stay in the south or go back to India from where your forefather Vijay came in a boat.
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Champa / August 21, 2017
John – Black avatar
The governments in countries where Tamils seek refuge say the same thing. They say — Hello Tamils, we don’t care about your mother tongue, if you want the citizenship of our country, learn our mother tongue and pass the test, if not go back to Sri Lanka. — Then Tamils meekly learn their mother tongue whatever it is, English, French, Spanish, German, Italian even Greek.
The same rule should apply here. At least, we should make it compulsory for those who carry or seek dual citizenship to pass a language test in Sinhala.
I don’t understand as to why Tamils make a big fuzz over learning majority speaking Sinhala while living in Sri Lanka permanently, if they can learn various “other mother tongues” when they migrate to other countries? The reason of them heartily embracing and learning mother tongues of their “adopted countries” but not Sinhala Language is, unlike Sinhalese, Tamils who were born here never want to think Sri Lanka as their motherland.
In other words they prefer the foreign step mother over their own local mother something the decent world will be frowned upon. The problem is they do that while living under the roof of the local mother.
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John / August 22, 2017
Dumb Champa
“I don’t understand as to why Tamils make a big fuzz over learning majority speaking Sinhala while living in Sri Lanka”
The Tamils in Sri Lanka have their own Tamil speaking Territory (N&E) known as Tamil Eelam (former Tamil kingdom). When the Tamils live in other peoples land, they learn their mother tongue whatever it is, English, French, Spanish, German, Italian even Greek. Similarly, if the Tamils live in Sinhala areas they learn to communicate in Sinhala, but when they live in their own land, their former kingdom, why should they learn an unknown language called Sinhala which is alien to their homeland and good for nothing, utterly useless wasting their time on learning a tribal language like Sinhala which is not used in any part of the world and also not used in the N&E of Sri Lanka.
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Sinhala_Man / August 27, 2017
Dear John,
Please don’t imagine that there is an organised campaign (at least not one with me in it!) to NOT learn Tamil. If one could just learn, like swallowing a tablet, I’d do it.
Learning a language is a lot of hard work, and there must be an obvious benefit. I see none for myself by learning it. One reason is that most Tamils whom I meet are able to communicate in English or Sinhala. I live in a Sinhala majority area, and you have to face reality, John: the country is Sinhala majority.
I appeal to you not to discourage any Tamil from learning Sinhala. All that I can promise in return is gratitude, and good will.
As for our all getting back to India: hardly feasible, is it? But I understand your indignation upon reading some of the comments.
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Sinhala_Man / August 27, 2017
Dear John,
Please don’t imagine that there is an organised campaign (at least not one with me in it!) to NOT learn Tamil. If one could just learn, like swallowing a tablet, I’d do it.
Learning a language is a lot of hard work, and there must be an obvious benefit. I see none for myself by learning it. One reason is that most Tamils whom I meet are able to communicate in English or Sinhala. I live in a Sinhala majority area, and you have to face reality, John: the country is Sinhala majority.
I appeal to you not to discourage any Tamil from learning Sinhala. All that I can promise in return is gratitude, and good will.
As for our all getting back to India: hardly feasible, is it? But I understand your indignation upon reading some of the comments.
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Mohamed Hisham / August 21, 2017
Ado K Jimma, why should anyone living in the north learn Sinhalese?
If anyone wants to work in the north/east they should learn Tamil, period.
It is the same as everyone in the south is expected to understand Sinhalese, isn’t it?
There is nothing called the majority Language ! . Sinhalese and Tamil has the same status in the constitution.
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Sinhala_Man / August 21, 2017
Dear Mohamed Hisham,
*
You have said:
“Sinhalese and Tamil has (sic, “have?”) the same status in the constitution.”
That’s being legalistic – as bad as my trying to tell you that you should say HAVE , not HAS: and as unhelpful!
*
I agree with you that we should give up all these quarrels, and make constructive efforts to understand one another.
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Getting everyone to be tri-lingual is so much easier said than done. Wouldn’t it be true to say that 80% of Sri Lankans are still monolingual? Everybody has the desire to learn . . . well, English at least, but how many succeed. I think that I have succeeded, but I often grope for the correct English word. That is the nature of human languages.
We can only hope that the citizens of our country start acting rationally, and let’s start agitating for correct policies.
Before which, we’d better ensure proper ELECTIONS! This entire story revolves around the efforts of our “rulers” to subvert democracy.
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I have some vague memory of the guys promising to be our “servants”. First agitate, then vote intelligently!
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Kumarathasan Rasingam / August 21, 2017
From the writings I can boldly say that you are a frog in the well: Never met or moved with other communities or gone out of your village thinking that Sri Lanka belongs to Buddhist Sinhala Racist only. Pl. read this for your enlightenment https://www.academia.edu/29486541/Importance_of_an_Independent_Homeland_for_Tamils_in_Sri_Lanka_Genocide_of_Tamils_in_Sri_Lanka?auto=download
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Jimsofty / August 20, 2017
By Looking at the photo it shows who ever the Tamil is, he is intimidating the police officer.
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mike / August 20, 2017
Jimmy the Greek – Do not come to idiotic conclusions by looking at the photograph !
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Sinhala_Man / August 20, 2017
Thanks, Mike.
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Idiotic it is. Read below the photograph: the “Tamil in the photo” is Jeewan Hoole’s elder brother, Dr Rajan Hoole, a vegan, and the gentlest of guys. True he is tall, true the policeman who knows he has been sent on a foolish errand by some politician looks scared, but this is an important story for all Sri Lankans who value democracy and want regular elections.
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Please read the story carefully. If you really want to know what a gentle guy Dr Rajan Hoole is, listen to him here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2bCXoD-NEY
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Jimsofty / August 21, 2017
This comment was removed by a moderator because it didn’t abide by our Comment policy.For more detail see our Comment policy https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/comments-policy-2/
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Native Vedda / August 20, 2017
Jimsofty the dimwit
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“By Looking at the photo it shows who ever the Tamil is, he is intimidating the police officer.”
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You want me to believe the police took it lightly. It looks like another policeman/policemen twisting Prof Hooles arms from his behind.
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Jimmy its time you visited your local optician
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Ben Hurling / August 20, 2017
I cannot bring myself to say, our country is being run by dogs. I am a big dog-lover. Unconditional love, loyalty and companionship you get from a dog is amazing. Dogs are such wonderful creatures. A God’s gift to humanity. What shall we call the idiotic, uncivilized, inefficient, brutal & corrupt beasts who occupy positions of power in SL since 1948? We all saw the other day what kind of psychopathic animal is running Sri Lanka Police as IGP. Minister of Law & Order is still silent about it. A pacifier firmly stuck in his mouth. Not a word from PM or President. Mainstream media maintains muzzle about that incident too. Professor Hoole stand your ground. Nations needs you. Barbarians at your gate are doomed. We shall prevail. Cheers!
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take_that / August 20, 2017
So you like to have another guinea pig like LK, Fatty VP……
Burva when you raise your leg lassani!
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Dr, Rajasingham Narendran / August 20, 2017
I am beginning to increasingly appreciate the role Prof Ratnajeevan Hoole is currently playing in Sri Lanka.
“We now face the dangerous risk of populism, illiberal democracies, autocracy and self-interest around the world. Socrates is supposed to have said: “to move the world, we must move ourselves”. Another great- the Mahatma – said “you must be the change that you wish to see in this world”. (Dr. Ruwantissa Abeyratne in an recent article elsewhere).
It is not easy and safe to demand change and become a point man for this change in a medieval and fossilized nation such as ours! The more we talk of changes for the better, the more we move in the opposite direction.
We may not agree with every issue Prof.Hoole focuses on, but have to applaud him for many issues he takes up and his sheer guts.
Thank you Prof.Hoole.
Dr.Rajasigham Narendran
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take_that / August 20, 2017
Oh what a cameo of .
Ben and ponsan artist wants the job done for the sinhala buddhist
Babi achi ge bicycle ekka.
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Native Vedda / August 20, 2017
Ben Hurling
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In this case don’t blame the policeman as he is only the tool with which someone higher up wants to intimidate prof Hoole and others who challenge the conduct of those who misuse their authority and ignore what the law.
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It is for the Election Commission to find out the person who authorised or behind such a stupid action. If Douglas is behind this sordid affair as alluded in this article does it mean he still enjoys so much state power or others who are aligned to SLFP and Gota?
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This incident must worry many.
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Could it be LTTE’s ghost.
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K A Sumanasekera / August 20, 2017
Wonder why the Professor didn’t call the CM , Judge Wigneswaran and the Vellala Party TNA’s Gun Lawyer Abraham?…..
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take_that / August 20, 2017
“”Wonder why””
Forgotten what you read from his writings?
Have you started drinking kasipu after all that Gleneagles?
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Siva / August 20, 2017
The Sri Lankan Government’s atrocities towards the Tamils is still continuing. A copy of this official complaint should be immediately sent to Geneva (UN).
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Jimsofty / August 20, 2017
These people when they are in the west are very good english speakers, never complain about their mother tongue. If they talk big, they will be harassed. Tamils want to bully govt officlas , particularly uneducated ones and prove their political points. that is disgusting.
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Tamil from the north / August 20, 2017
Ado Jim shitty bugger, Tamils want to bully govt officlas , particularly uneducated ones and prove their political points. that is disgusting.
TFN: This goes to prove what an uneducated filth you are. Cannot even spell two words in English properly.
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raman / August 20, 2017
Idiot Jimmy,
This is their country. Jaffna is not Sinhala country.
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Jimsofty / August 20, 2017
Raman: Eventhe word Ramna is chinese to me. anyway, His genology says he is South Indian. He had atleast a shiny begining because he was lucky to be in Sri lanka and not in Tamilnadu. He talks english every where in overseas. In South also he may be speaking english because, there the kalusuddas like to show their english. In northern Sinhale, he bullys uneducated police officers because, he wants to show his Racism.——————-I say, South govt is creating another Tamil insurrection. Because, in the mono-ethnic enclave that you are trying to build, Dalits are treated thrash. Even Wigneswaran knows that and he is aprt of that. They say, their are separate incinerators for funerals of Dalits and tobacco farmer high castes. Dalits are persecuted in education, and and all other basic requirements. So, finally it will be the Southern govt that will be wrong. Wigneswaran is asking, Little dalit kids to beome police officers. Excellent advice from the leader of your racist enclave.
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Real Siva Sankaran Sharma / August 21, 2017
The genealogy of the vast majority of the so called Sinhalese is also South Indian and significant number of them it is very recent. Largely low castes who were forcibly imported into the island by the Portuguese and Dutch as indentured /slave labour. Their Sinhalised descendants both low and high born ,are now the most rabid anti Tamils beating the Sinhalese Aryan drum and wanting to destroy the native indigenous Tamils who have lived in the island and ruled their land for over 2300 years. The percentage of Indian Tamil DNA amongst Sri Lankan Tamils is low only 17% , despite speaking the same language and following the same religion. However the percentage of Indian Tamil DNA amongst the so called Aryan Sinhalese is 70%. Even the so called North Indian origin of the Sinhalese is now proved to be a lie, as the percentage of Bengali DNA amongst indigenous Sri Lankan Tamils is around 30% compared to the 25% amongst the Sinhalese who claim an exclusive North Indian/Bengali origin. This proves it was not North Indian migration that triggered the evolution of the Sinhalese people but the arrival of Buddhism 2300 years ago and the large scale conversion of indigenous Tamil and other tribes to Buddhism in the south west and central parts of the island , that triggered the evolution of the Sinhalese in the south. They started to corrupt their local Tamil or semi Tamil dialect Elu with the Prakrit/Pali and Sanskrit of Buddhism to gradually evolve a new language called Sinhalese in the south of the country. Sinhalese only came into existence from around 7/8TH century
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Native Vedda / August 20, 2017
KASmaalam K A Sumanasekera
–
“Wonder why the Professor didn’t call the CM , Judge Wigneswaran and the Vellala Party TNA’s Gun Lawyer Abraham?…”
–
The Chief Minister did not have police powers.
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Native Vedda / August 20, 2017
Jimmy the Dimwit
–
Why do the Tamils always challenge the Sinhala policemen harassing them constantly and consistently for no apparent reason?
–
You should send in the army once again to teach this Christian Tamil a lesson he will never forget.
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Laksiri Fernando / August 20, 2017
Police harassment of Prof. Hoole should be condemned strongly and unequivocally. He is an outspoken person on many issues, and most recently on the use of ‘Sinhala only’ by the police in the Northern and the Eastern provinces violating fundamental rights of the people. He is a member of the Election Commission and stood for holding free and fair elections without delay for the local government institutions. He has rendered his best professional services to improve the systems of elections. Using a ‘warrant’ dating to July 2011 (after six years!) which in his submissions was recalled is a lame excuse for the police to harass him. As he has further submitted, the complaint against him in 2011 was motivated nothing but political reasons. Therefore, while it is up to the government/parliamentary authorities (as he has addressed the letter) to look into the matter as a police harassment of a member of an independent commission, I believe the Attorney General also should be requested to look into the past matter (2011), under his powers and authority, and settle any ambiguities remaining and give a peace of mind to Prof. Hoole.
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take_that / August 20, 2017
“”and settle any ambiguities remaining and give a peace of mind to Prof. Hoole.”
Even Theresa May will not condemn The Donald speech so similarly Modi will not condemn the language action. Don’t send him up the gum tree like most left wing Sinhalese have done so far.
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Saro / August 20, 2017
The police corruption is well known and is experienced by all the drivers of vehicles of all sorts, the worst affected being the motor cyclists. What Prof Ratnajeevan Hoole describes here clearly shows that Dogless Devangunda’s ghost is still blowing in the streets and villages of Jaffna and beyond. This reminds me that once extreme nationalist demagogue, DJ, advised the MR King of corruption to keep him, DD and Karuna in government to continue ruining the country. The president and the PM must take action against the complaints made by the prof in this article.
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SJ / August 22, 2017
Saro
I think that you are attributing too much to Douglas Devananda.
I think that he has other things to be busy with. If his intention was to hound Hoole after his return, he would have dug up the old case much earlier.
He will strike if provoked, but he is far too practical to be obsessed with individuals with whom his battles were over years ago.
There have been far more serious political enemies whom DD leaves alone when they do not pose a threat to him.
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Kumaran / August 20, 2017
Just thank God the Inspector General of Police, the great pugilist was not there!!
These are disgarceful incidents and will lead Sri Lanka deeper and deeper into trouble.
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take_that / August 20, 2017
Prof. S. Ratnajeevan H. Hoole,
Was it not the STF or Police that saw to it that this government which won the election took its seat of governance??
So what you are asking is from the thieves mum if the son is a thief.
root cause is language. how long will it stand if a 2/3 vote is obtained on the grounds that it is the 2nd most language of the world and expensive to administer and this above all the 50% of tamils living in other areas do not demand this language?
The Basque people never got their language I doubt you would get support from the right wing governments that rule most of the influential west. The hard working and intelligent Basque are doing well because they are not con men nor inside traders.
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take_that / August 20, 2017
With the citizenship act wherein the Jaffna and East Tamils and Sinhalese pooled their strength to get rid of the islands bread winning estate tamils.
In politics and war there are no friends but interest.
Today you Jaffna Tamils are all alone- karma is a bastard.
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Chakrawarthy / August 20, 2017
I think when the court makes an order ‘RECALL WARRANT’ on the suspect surrendering himself, the registrar of court issues a letter to the suspect that the warrant is recalled which can be shown to the police officer who comes to arrest the suspect subsequently.
But the Court’s duty does not end there. When the ‘recall warrant’ order is made by the Judge it means that the registrar of the court has a bounded duty to inform the relevant police station to return the warrant of arrest in their hand to the Court as the warrant is now of no force or avail. In addition only that the letter is issued to the suspect for his convenience. DID NOT THE KAYTS COURT which issued the warrant inform the Police about the recalling of the warrant?
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Mallaiyuran / August 20, 2017
Hooles always have a tender heart to Appe Aanduwa. Then why the Yahapalanaya is targeting on Ratnajeevan. That is the interesting part here. He had written in CT.
Now the CT UNPyers, when they have nothing more to say on debates, they end it with “See, at least now CT can be read in Lankawe. ” You have got a new media freedom” under our UNP Yahapalanaya.
It is said when “the right hand give it out the left hand take it away”. May be CT can be red in Lankawe. Now writers and commentators have lost the freedom on CT. Yahapalanaya is well using Keith’s new agreement to testify of his torture to arrest Ratnajeevan by digging on an old warrant. The CIDs and the F Word CIDs are stopped from investigating UNP or SLFP multi-Billion dollar frauds. They cannot even get to Lasantha, Thajudeen like cruel murder cases. Where is now Vidya case? The torture, rape and murder for illegal video production? The intelligent agents are forced the zap the flies but not allowed to investigate crimes.
Ratnajeevan had said in his last easy that he had been sending his essays to main media before he can put in CT. That is how he draws the public support from Yahapalanaya picking on his CT writing. But, on publishing his last essay, he had no other way but to bring it to CT direct because of the nature of the essay prevented main media being enthusiastic of putting anything against Yahapalanaya in their channels.
Now Ratnajeevan has lifted himself near to Lasantha, by being correct at least one time, i.e. predicting UNP Yahapalanaya correctly in his last essay. May not be to the Lasantha’s degree, but he too seems to have written his self-eulogy in his last easy. “God save Ratnajeevan”.
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Secularist / August 20, 2017
Mallaiyuran
Don’t try to confuse issues that are clearly stated with your wild and unworthy speculations. Jeevan Hoole is a secular man and he tried to serve his badly affected people by living in the North rather than from Michigan or New York, which too he did. The trouble with many people here is that they don’t understand the richness of secularism. The moment you talk of secularism you are branded anti-Hindu and hammered to pulp. Religion is more important here than the man’s qualifications and what he has to offer.
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Mallaiyuran / August 20, 2017
Yet a question though! Can he have an open war to make Uduvil as Provincial school instead of under a Christian Board?
You are right on the point of Ratnajeevan’s activities. He is an excessive to force the Jaffna Hindus to be secularist when the Buddhist Bald heads are swamping the Peninsula.
Listen to this! If Ratnajeevan wants to be C.N.Annadurai, he can be the next CM of North. Tell him to continue on his stand against the Sinhala Only. If Ratnajeevan wants to be M.Karunanidhi, he can be the next CM of North. Tell him to continue his stand against the Sinhala Only and lie down in front of Yarl Devi.
Tamil will buy not just secularism, they will buy even Atheism. But that will not alone do the trick. If Ratnajeevan standing only on secularism, it is like “Aaathai padukira paadukkai Kuththiyan paalukazhuthaanaam” (Spoil brad was crying for breast milk when mother was struggling for a bare life) .
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Garuda / August 20, 2017
Mallaiyuran,
He is another DJ hype case who has made a mountain of an ant hill. He belongs to the other side of Vaiko coin at Nadu- as bad as can be.
never believe these Christians bent on caste distinctions as they are used to confessions. He is now giving it the final try to get nomination to parliament because he sounds like he owns the church built by others.
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SimonP / August 20, 2017
The Hooles are reaping what they sow. They contributed to the demise of the Tamils’ voice and the power. They were not helping the Tamils’ struggle in anyways, instead their works were used to support the oppressive SL Govt. When the Tamils needed the support of the whole of their people, these Hooles were supplying what the other side needed the most. They helped destroy the Tamils’ power. Had they supported the Tamils and their just struggle, perhaps they may not be in this unfortunate situation. They should have known what the Sinhalese govt officials, forces and all their elements are capable of.
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SimpsonP / August 20, 2017
You don’t seem to understand the problem: The ordinary Tamil people reaped death and destruction sown to a large extent by the Tamil nationalist political elite. They suffered bombings and massacres by the government and the depredations by the LTTE. Those who have been through Mullivaykkal will give you a balanced view not flattering to either side. In what way did the Hooles cause this? One of them was involved in the UTHR(J) which exposed the violence of the state, the LTTE and other militant groups. Whether it harmed the Tamils or did them good, you must ask the Martin Ennals Award Committee that includes the world’s major human rights advocates.
You seem to belong to the overseas types who were praised as patriots by the LTTE for funding their war machine, which provided refugee status in the West for their relatives while ensuring the war continued endlessly for the Tamils at home who were drowning in misery.
If their common needs are not looked after, they would slowly disappear as they cannot be party to another war. If you have contempt for Jeevan Hoole because he fights the system to have the people served in their own language, you only show yourself to be a pervert.
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Uthungan / August 21, 2017
Thank you Simpson P for sating the truth.
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Sri-Krish / August 20, 2017
Thanks Ratnajeevan for your fight back and not to bow down to injustice and be prepared to face the consequences and I am ashamed for my silence.
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sinhalese buddhist / August 20, 2017
thank you for standing up against police corruption. They treat the Sinhalese no better. They are a bunch of thugs with a sense of entitlement. If they serve Tamils who don’t speak any other language, then they should learn to speak and write in Tamil – it’s not that difficult.
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Non PhD / August 20, 2017
Where are you Mahadena Muktha Dr.DJ ?
Why no justice for this Proffessor whose writings and political stand you often quote in your creative writings to demean the Tamil Citizens of your socalled sovereign SL. ?
What happened to the 13 A for the last 30 yrs ?
What is going to be the working languages of the Naval forces and other forces in the North & East ?
Dr.DJ, on the issues raised by Prof Hoole are you together with Wijeyadasa Raja a, Ven Gnanasara and other members from the Mahasangha to do march from Nelum Pokuna to Dalada Maligawa ?
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thrishu / August 20, 2017
Sad!
When the people in the ruling pinnacle (i.e. the Presidents, the PMs, the Ministers MPs, local politicians and their vote catchers), the lawyers in the solicitor general office and the functionaries there, the Judges and Magistrates, all the top and middle and lower echelons of the administration in any government department, and even functionaries in banks and corporations Government or private sector, doctors, principals and teachers, film producers, clergy regardless of their faiths, diyawadana-nilames, even gods at and kapuwas at all our reputed shrines, if they all take bribes in this Holey Land of Sri Lanka, then why single out poor policemen on the beat or traffic duties to make complaint of corruption. I thought the Professor is intelligent enough to work this out, and if he could not, then even I suspect if he got his professorship through bribing. Why make this a nationalistic issue; it is just common behaviour in Sri Lanka. Is he pretending that folks to the East and North of Vavuniya are saints? Fancy making a complain to the very names that have been mentioned in headlines in the last two weeks as having had their finger in a corruption pie called BOND SCAM, or beating the proletariat round their ears because they could not fight back. If you cannot beat them (you will never be able to, and no body has ever been able to because now it has reached the 2, 3rd or even past 4th degree cancer level over the last 55-years that I could think of) join them, if not vote yourself out of the country with your feet!
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Thrush / August 20, 2017
Thrishu, I am sorry you have missed the point. The problem in the Tamil areas is corruption combined with impunity.
Prof. Hoole has said that this should not happen to any man living peacefully with his wife and daughters. As he points out the ethnic aspect comes in, as this is very unlikely to happen to his colleague Mahinda Deshapriya.
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thrishu / August 20, 2017
Harassment is common to South, Central, NCP and East too, more land area and greater population density, so more often and more volume. Nothing special about the North
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Thrash u / August 20, 2017
“Why make this a nationalistic issue; it is just common behaviour in Sri Lanka.”…Holey land.Sri Lanka….
Man, What a country that must be. Are you all still clothed in holey fig leaves there?
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thrishu / August 20, 2017
Saint Thrash u Check your holey loin cloth first and see what are you are hiding.
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Saman Adikari / August 20, 2017
Professor Hoole treatment by Police is not so bad . Only that he has summons to Police by certain charges to be verified by enforcement authority >There is nothing wrong?
If he is not committed crimes against People or State or Not that undermined the very foundation of Democracy of Island in his past or present, that nothing to worried about? Let him to face reality?
He cannot be above the law of Land! The called to Police is that not going discrimination against because Tamil-race.
This is how Tamils make story against Republic of Democratic state of Sri lanka, during they are inside and Out-side Island? Is this an isolated-incident going to make that Tamils want to be claim for the Justification of Tamil -homeland in North? Or East?
If this learned Dr Hoole of Professor being Capital Cities in Western World ,there are many this types of Incidents can be occurs? Did he complains to relevant countries —Presidents and Primer –Minsters and Speakers of Chambers ? Do not take as serious of these issues by you.
Pro– are your rational person hence do you feel that bullying by Majority Sinhalese or their nation?
We are not that!
See that Master -mind Arjun Mahandaran of Central Bank, Governor his crimes that never been an even to summons to the Police-Post or Courts for to take a simple statement of his CB Bonds scam Crime? Not yet.
He is also Tamil origin National and Citizen of Singapore? He got most highest Job In Sri lanak–Central Bank? How he is treats by “Good Governances”? Take lightly >
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Sinhala_Man / August 20, 2017
Dear Saman Adikari,
Do you want Provincial Council Elections held on time, or don’t you? That is what this whole story is about.
*
What you have written is racist clap-trap. Writing such as yours clearly proves to the world that Tamils really face many problems that we Sinhalese do not. But that (in the context of this story) is a secondary matter.
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justice / August 20, 2017
Corruption has existed in all governments since independence and has now peaked under this regime.
In the northeast, corruption is tied up with impunity of the undeclared army regime which has rendered citizens to slave status.
The army beats the “LTTE resurgence drum” to remain and enjoy all goodies including fruits of corruption, such as unaudited food supply tenders which run into millions every month, and plunder of land, which no one dares to question.
Thus, the army regime has to tolerate corruption in the policing of the northeast.
The Governor has to ignore & the provincial council is helpless.
I wish Dr.Hoole the best of luck in his endeavour to obtain justice.
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punchinilame / August 20, 2017
Bribery is rampant in Sri Lanka with the Police Dept. leading it. Next, comes The Immigration Dept.s Citizenship Div. where the dual-citizenship section gets bribed with ease – as the bribers are foreign
earners who wish to have their applications for dual citizenship passed without hassle – the going rate was
USD 350.00 (Rs.50,000/-) per family. This did not affect the applicants Now with applicant Nos. declining the rate has gone upto Rs. one lakh each!!!! The CIABOC appears to be planted with I/E Dept. related people, so
much so they do not want to look into this open bribery despite even the PM^s Office passing on tips of
this activity.
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Sinhala_Man / August 20, 2017
We can restore some order to this troubled land only by insisting that certain principles be upheld, even if the consequences may not suit us.
*
Prof. Jeevan Hoole has demonstrated here what it means to be a member of an INDEPENDENT Elections Commission. The Rajapaksas are very keen that three Provincial Council Elections be held in October 2017. Yahapalanaya has made such a mess of things that the Rajapaksas have good reason to feel that they will do well at such elections.
*
Many regular readers of Colombo Telegraph are among those who have no desire to help the Rajapaksas get back to positions from which we can be harassed. The history of Prof. Hoole as laid out here (and which nobody has dared challenge), is such that it is clear that he has greater personal antipathy towards the Rajapaksas than towards the current rogues governing us. The Rajapaksas must be cock-a-hoop about this story.
*
However, we value “Democracy”, Law, Order, Justice, and Fairplay. This entire story is about the current government being scared of holding elections, and a section of the government not wanting to ever lose power. None of WANTS to lose, but the decent among us know that a higher morality than our individual destinies must prevail. Thanks, Prof. Hoole for doing all this. You have been the most outspoken of the three Commissioners, with Mahinda Desahpriya not being far behind!
*
That Prof. Hoole is a Tamil is a totally different matter, but there is a connection between this harassment of him and the various ethnic and linguistic factors mentioned here. Not one word in THIS article is out of place. The question is, even if we ourselves are not in a position to strike as tellingly as he has for Democracy and Decency, are we willing to support what he is doing at this juncture?
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Plato. / August 20, 2017
Frankly, I admire Dr.Ratnajeevan Hoole. Lesser men would have caved in with the sort of Police Force we have in this country. The Govt:should seriously consider appointing Dr.RH to the Police Commission.
The JVP taught the Police a good lesson in 1971.
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Native Vedda / August 20, 2017
Plato
–
“The JVP taught the Police a good lesson in 1971.”
–
However, by 1989 as JVP couldn’t stand DIG Udugampola’s rapid fire its thousands of its racists anti Indian members and its leader Somawansa Amarasinghe had to cross over the Palk strait into Tamil Nadu, their ancestral homeland.
–
It was known at the time RAW sent a special boat to pick him up from the middle of the sea. By the way this holier-than-thou red shirt socialist hypocrite later demanded the LTTE surrendered its arms while sitting on his socialist pile.
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Agnos / August 20, 2017
Dr. Hoole is doing the right thing here and deserves full support in this fight against corruption, the lack of implementation of language policies concerning service in Tamil, postponement of elections, etc.
Please cc Mano Ganeshan in these letters as the official languages issue is part of his portfolio., and keep diplomatic missions informed of the intimidation by the police.
It is time for all Sri Lankans to start demanding accountability from the politicians and the police, and to remind them that they are paid by tax payers–the public.
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SJ / August 22, 2017
Agnos
Mano Ganesan?
There was a time when Tamils in trouble looked to him. Now his priorities are different. He may at best make a noise, but no more.
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shankar / August 20, 2017
devolve the police powers to the northeast provincial council.Then Hoole and the police fighting each other will not become a racial issue.
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Tamil from the north / August 20, 2017
I feel bad for the policeman for being thrown into this position. This is probably a village guy from the south who cannot speak a word of English. So he is trying to communicate in Sinhala and Dr. Hoole is also angry why a Sinhala man is speaking to him in Sinhala. It is not the fault of the Policeman, it is the fault of what has happened in the country in the last 70 years. Morons managed this country and ran it to the ground. If I was a cop in the south and as I do not speak Sinhala, I would have spoken to a local in English. It is sad to hammer this policeman for his predicament. I also really do not know what exactly happened and my comments are purely based on what I am seeing in this picture.
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Sinhala_Man / August 21, 2017
Dear “Tamil from the north”,
Towards the top of the comments, Native Veddah, who is a sympathetic Sinhalese (like me!) says:
“You want me to believe the police took it lightly. It looks like another policeman/policemen twisting Prof Hooles arms from his behind.
–
Jimmy its time you visited your local optician.”
So we are all going on the photograph. It is not one which either Inspector Wanninayake or Rajan Hoole posed for, I’m sure.
I’ve already commented on what a gentle guy Rajan is. He is rather shortsighted, is 6 feet 2 inches tall, and – well for the rest, please see the video to which I have provided a link somewhere above. Even if angry the guy is not one who can be threatening. However, let me assure you that he can’t be angry just because he’s being spoken to in Sinhala; he’s very intelligent, not naive. Anger there may have been owing to the situation they are placed in. He’s more in to Philosophy (his PhD is Maths – which can border on rather abstruse Philosophy) than in to Technology. He looks frail, unlike his more robust brother.
*
As for the Inspector, please see where Prof. Jeevan Hoole says he appeared to be decent guy. Yes, it’s a photograph that could be described as “dramatic”, and your imaginative comments reflect well on your own humanity.
*
“All the clouds that lour upon our” country makes it desirable that we all look for silver linings. I see that lining in the humanity reflected in your interpretation. Thanks!
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Uthungan / August 21, 2017
TFN
‘If I was a cop in the South and as I do not speak in Sinhala,I would have spoken to a local in English’.
But if the local cannot understand English or declines to respond in that language what can be done?
There seems to be more to this episode than what appears on the surface.
Who does not want the local elections held at this point of time? Ask him.
He can explain the desperation to clutch at a straw like the file returned file in this case by the AG’s dept., without comment.
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SJ / August 20, 2017
Ratnajeevan Hoole has been in the country for more than 2 years since a long absence. What motivated the police to act now on an old arrest warrant certainly needs probing.
I would, however, not jump to conclusions. It need not be his role in the EC since the the Chairman, EC— who is a bigger threat —has been adequately outspoken on the matter concerned and would have been harassed before any other if comments on local elections was the issue.
It seems likely that the more recent traffic offence case where the language of communication was brought to public attention was the motivating factor.
*
BTW, membership of any Government Commission need not be a guarantee for immunity from police harassment.
It will be very good if the police act fairly and according to law, and look at the offence and not the identity of the alleged offender.
*
Whatever the reason, police is police under any regime, and the current regime— as some of us feared since very early on —is not very different from the one that it replaced, more by a coup than by a ‘revolution’.
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Native Vedda / August 21, 2017
SJ
–
“Whatever the reason, police is police under any regime, and the current regime”
–
Is it so?
–
However in 1974 the policemen under the weeping widow were not responsible for the killing of 12 innocent people in Jaffna but the Tamil Arasuk Katchi was.
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Erasmus / August 21, 2017
SJ
Thanks for your patronising comment. Did not DIG Jaffna know that Hoole is a member of the Election Commission and that the Kayts court had discharged him from the case brought by the Police?
There is something you missed. You were a member of Jaffna University’s selection committee, which unanimously dismissed your former colleague Hoole, who served Peradeniya as senior professor with distinction in research and administration, as unfit for senior lecturer in engineering.
You are also misleading in talking about his long absence. He was appointed VC Jaffna in 2006 and had to leave the country because of a palpable threat. At that time the USAB had ordered Jaffna University to process his application for senior professor in computer science. It was a straight forward matter for a selection committee. Instead, a Jaffna professor, who is now a member of the UGC, went to the Appeal Court and hired Sumanthiran at university expense for a ruling to enable the University NOT TO PROCESS AN APPLICATION. A university is bound to process the application of any credible applicant. The University already has a reputation for resorting to such shameful extremes to keep good applicants out for ridiculously narrow reasons.
It is sad that you, who are a man of ability, have been recruited into this gang by bosses who have flattered your ego. Giving our youth hope requires we must welcome all persons who have made their mark and are happy to serve the community. Please keep this in mind when you go for the next council meeting.
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SJ / August 21, 2017
Erasmus,
Sorry to disappoint you: I am not in the habit of patronizing anyone.
The point that I made was that the police when they decide to target someone, there is little consideration of the position that one holds, however high one may think it is. (Only orders from the very top can deter the police.)
I was mainly commenting on the speculated motivation. My view is that harassing Hoole for whatever his role in the EC would have been on someone else’s instruction. There again, the one to target is the Chairman, EC.
*
I cannot respond to your false accusations here for reasons that have been repeated many times over.
/
K.Pillai / August 20, 2017
The experience of Prof.S. Ratnajeevan H. Hoole described here is what Tamils go through everyday.
SRH H has kept records meticulously and has just about avoided the usual police response. Perhaps the police received instruction from Colombo.
SRH H has acted with courage we must hope that the exposé will have the intended effect.
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Jimsofty / August 21, 2017
This comment was removed by a moderator because it didn’t abide by our Comment policy.For more detail see our Comment policy https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/comments-policy-2/
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SJ / August 21, 2017
KP
Arrogance of power never learns lessons.
The system is corrupt, then what does one expect of the police, whose attitude only reflects that of the state and policemen— like politicians —come from among us.
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Jimsofty / August 21, 2017
It looks Two hoolies were bullying Sinhala Police men. ————————— but the truth in North is different.——————–Caste system is still practiced in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. Contrary to popular view propagated by the ruling caste that caste is a thing of the past, it is a living cancer within the Tamil community. The upper caste community is the ruling caste in this province. All other castes have been historically discriminated and downtrodden in a wide variety of ways – socially and economically and in many other ways, examples of which are far too many to be listed here……………..The main Tamil political parties (Ceylon Tamil Congress, Federal Party and the TULF) unashamedly practiced or promoted or at best remained silent on the marginalisation and oppression of the lower caste communities and prevented them from improving their life chances. They are discriminated in access to land, education, employment and crematoriums. They are driven to live as social outcasts. —————Their political representation in the country’s Parliament, Provincial Councils and other local government bodies is almost zero in spite of the fact they represent over 40% of the population in the NP. They are effectively disenfranchised. ————-Historically they have been kept out of temples, places of eating such as restaurants (serving tea and food took place in separate low quality designated vessels in a very humiliating manner). They were treated as sub-human. Through persistent struggles against the upper caste onslaught by these communities lead by Trade Union and Communist
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soma / August 21, 2017
A substantial number of police officers in Jaffna must be Tamil. Once posted Tamil officers should acquire a working knowledge in Sinhala and Sinhala officers should acquire a working knowledge in Tamil. State should provide all funds and facilities for this purpose.
Soma
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Champa / August 21, 2017
As far as I know, the government employees are offered an incentive for second language proficiency based on their working language. For eg: Someone working in the Sinhala Language can choose his or her second language as English or Tamil. May be the government should offer an incentive for third language proficiency.
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Sinhala_Man / August 25, 2017
Now, that Champa, is a meaningful comment. And I think that many young Sinhalese government servants have learnt a fair bit of Tamil. They find it less stressful than learning English (owing to the Kaduwa factor).
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SJ / August 21, 2017
Soma
One long-standing grievance in the N & E is that there are no Tamil policemen in several police stations and that the overwhelming majority is Sinhalese.
Recruitment of Tamils to the police has been very poor for decades.
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Real Siva Sankaran Sharma / August 21, 2017
What a vast difference most white Americans in the USA are openly joining the minorities and protesting against the Klu Klux clan the neo Nazis and other White supremacists, despite Donald Trumps utterings. Even the American media is protesting. On the contrary the vast majority of the present day Sinhalese, who ironically are descended from immigrant South Indian Tamils, most of them recent. Elect Sinhalese Buddhist racists and fundamentalists and openly side with these racist politicians, police and armed forced to further discriminate and alienate the island’s Tamil and Tamil Muslim population. even in their lands in the north and east.
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