{"id":244403,"date":"2025-11-19T01:55:47","date_gmt":"2025-11-18T20:25:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?p=244403"},"modified":"2025-11-27T00:35:30","modified_gmt":"2025-11-26T19:05:30","slug":"70th-birthday-reflections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/70th-birthday-reflections\/","title":{"rendered":"70th Birthday Reflections"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Rt. Rev. Dr. Daniel Selvaratnam Thiagarajah<\/a> –<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Rt. Rev. Dr. Daniel Thiagarajah<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201c<\/i>So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, \u2018We are unworthy slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done\u2019<\/i>.\u201d ~ <\/i>St.Luke 17:10<\/p>\n

This verse from St. Luke came to my mind as I celebrated my 70th birthday on Nov. 9, by the grace of God with our daughter Gita and her family in Toronto.<\/p>\n

I count it a great privilege given to me by our gracious God to see this auspicious day (Nov. 9). I am thankful to God for various reasons. I remember with great affection and sincere thanks the dedication shown by my loving parents who are now in their heavenly abode. Along with them I also remember my loving brother Gunalan who was a great strength to me right through. His loss was and still is a burden to me. Then, my uncle Murugupillai Thambythurai who was always rejoicing in my success and my dear brother-in-law Mahilrajan Rajasekaram who supported me in every way he could. I miss all of them!<\/p>\n

I remember too my other dear friends who supported me by their prayers and other means.\u00a0 <\/span>I am thankful to God for my predecessor bishops who were always supportive of me. Bishop Sabapathy Kulandran wished that I would follow in his footsteps. Bishop DJ Ambalavanar gave opportunities for my studies and foreign exposures. Bishop Subramaniam Jebanesan supported me in every way possible.<\/p>\n

‘Truly, God has been merciful unto me, a man far short of His glory!’ Yes, \u201cundeserved love\u201d \u2013 a topic I always ponder about. This makes me humble before God Almighty. As the psalmist says, \u201cI will bless the LORD at all times, and His praise shall continually be in my mouth.\u201d Initially I was a bit scared when I thought of \u2018seventy\u2019 but our good friend John Bottomley had a good discussion with me via zoom, encouraging my morale.<\/p>\n

Prior to becoming Bishop, I served as Executive Secretary in the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) based in Hong Kong for five years and was quite ecumenically active. Hence, retirement appeared a threat and concern to me. Besides, loneliness, forsakenness, disheartened me. The feeling that the church I dearly served for about forty-plus years letting me down haunted me. A spirit of frustration began to settle in. Disappointment after disappointment became the order of life.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, there were health issues too. I was misdiagnosed once and that finally resulted in a prolonged coma. In my disbelief, perhaps, my inner being raised questions: “O my God. Will you forget me forever?” “How long will those who do not like me exalt over me?”<\/p>\n

It was a terrible experience for me in hospital. But the congregation in Colombo, friends all over the world, and my family were constantly praying in hope for my recovery even after giving their consent for the medical professionals to stop the functions of my brain for a while! The God of miracles did another great miracle.\u00a0 <\/span>A new life was granted to me. I came out of this ordeal triumphantly, thankfully, by the transformative grace of God!<\/p>\n

I get reminded of what my father used to read for us quite often:\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThe LORD will keep you from all evil. The LORD will watch over your life and guard your going out and coming in forevermore.\u201d (Psalm121: 7-8).<\/p>\n

As I look back and thank God for all that He has done for me. particularly remembering Gita’s powerful public testimony on behalf of the family in\u00a0 <\/span>church. I am thrilled to go through Psalm 35 today verse by verse.<\/p>\n

At the same time, this poor person’s unconscious cry is also there, that is, questioning God or doubting God! \u2013 “Why are you silent, O God!”; “Wake up, “Raise yourself! \u201cVindicate me, O Lord, my God! \u201cTruly, God vindicated me. True to the saying of prophet Jeremiah, \u201cGod\u2019s plan for you is always the best.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sometimes the process is painful and hard, but I need not forget that when God appears to be silent, He is doing something good for me!\u00a0 <\/span>As I celebrate my 70th birthday and give thanks to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for these seventy years, I re-dedicate my life to God who has graciously called me for His service with St. Luke\u2019s words with which I began.<\/p>\n

I need to give God time to speak to me, may be as God spoke to Elijah in a still and soft voice to reveal His will for me. May the good and gracious God grant me wisdom to wait for His continual transformative grace in my life. All glory be to God. I submit this with gratitude to God and humble submission to those who prayed for me and are now in His presence.<\/p>\n

Communicated by S. Ratnajeevan H. Hoole adding the East Timor Lesson<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

I received Bishop Thiagarajah\u2019s reflections along with the list of the following wrongdoings to him by the church. He and my mother shared the same birthday. I felt the necessity for sharing since he seems clearly wronged, with the JDCSI and the Jaffna College Board of Directors (JCBoD) ignoring loans owed him.<\/p>\n

When Thiagarajah was Bishop on his birthday in 2016 a tablet was erected at the Church\u2019s Shiloh Centre. Then on his birthday this year his name was scratched off, creating doubt whether Thiagarajah\u2019s successor, Bishop V. Padmathayalan\u2019s name, would fill the blank spot.<\/p>\n

\"\"


Bishop Daniel Thiagarajah, Diocesan Bishop (2006-2022) has name Erased in 2025
Bishop Thiagarajah, has his name Erased from the Tablet in 2025 on his Birthday<\/p><\/div>\n

Worse, when I attended in London Dr. Dharman Senathirajah\u2019s Memorial Service,\u00a0 <\/span>a doctor from a respected Vellala family that was related to previous bishops claimed at my meal table that Thiagarajah\u00a0 <\/span>was not elected as required, hiding that when Bishop Jebansan\u2019s car was smashed by clergy, the Archbishop (Moderator) exercised his constitutional right to waive the election, nor that Bishop Duleep de Chickera\u2019s appointment was by the Archbishop of Canterbury because his election too failed<\/span><\/a><\/span> when he did not get 60% of the House of Clergy as required. So, the appointments were discretionary to the Archbishops.<\/p>\n

JDCSI Royal Families ignored the low-castes systematically left out by previous JDCSI Bishops. Rejected, they found room in the Methodist and Anglican Churches, one rising to be Bishop of Colombo. Thiagarajah brought many Dalits and Sinhalese into the clergy, going against the previous Bishops and what the missionaries boasted<\/span> about the Vellala:<\/p>\n

The Vellalas are emphatically our people<\/i>; and notwithstanding the losses they have sustained by the freedom of their slaves and by the introduction of the principles of liberty and equality in society, yet, combining the advantages of Christian instruction and of a superior education with the advantages which they inherited from their fathers, they will long continue to be the most thriving, energetic, intelligent and best-behaved portion of the Tamil population.<\/p>\n

Padmathayalan\u2019s and his community\u2019s success is owed to Thiagarajah. However, many church institutions now dominated by Dalits, have failed. When placed in high office, instead of using that to prove they are as capable as Vellalas, they indulge in mismanagement. At St. James\u2019 Nallur, accounts are submitted late at a separate AGM with poor attendance, and Bishop Dushantha Rodrigo and Archdeacon Parimala Selvan with fisher-caste connections, give their assent, laments Gnanaharan Ponnuthurai whose complaint was ignored . The auditor agrees to pass accounts even before seeing them.<\/p>\n

Padmathayalan has been accused by Jaffna College alumni especially Dr. Ramachandran Kulasingham<\/span><\/a><\/span>, of constructing Bishop Kulandran Hall without involving the Board and putting over Rs. 50 lakhs of College money into his personal account. This Padmathayalan promptly returned by personal cheque when questioned, saying he had it for safekeeping.<\/p>\n

The Dalits have failed in using opportunities given to them to prove that their abilities match those of Vellalas as I believe they do.<\/p>\n

The Tamil Nadu Legislator\u00a0 <\/span>and leader of the Liberation Cheetahs, the\u00a0 <\/span>Dalit Leader Thol. Thirumavalavan, PhD, is in Jaffna to lend support to Padmathayalan.<\/p>\n

Padmathayalan faces several issues \u2013 theft (as the Old Boys of Jaffna College accuse him of, family bandyism, etc.), ingratitude (as Thiagarajah\u2019s student and having taken over Rs. 5 lakhs from him for his wife\u2019s cancer treatment), and academic fraud (for using the titular prefix Doctor with no evidence of his thesis or its title, supervisor or doctoral examination).<\/p>\n

Similar accusations are there against\u00a0 <\/span>Thiagarajah<\/span><\/a><\/span> mainly on his alleged manipulation of the Board but what I saw had no evidence except power play \u2013 and that he too bribed the CSI Archbishop to be appointed (whereas that was legally proper and the one claiming to have seen it never raised at the time), that he stopped the pension of one Rev. V. Tharmakulasingham (whereas he was entitled to a provident fund which he got or pension\u00a0 <\/span>not both), and that the US Trustees misappropriated funds to meet their legal costs<\/span><\/a><\/span>, and that he illegally amassed large amounts to issue loans to the Jaffna College Board (ignoring that he was paid $5000 per mensum<\/i> for 5 years in Hong Kong).<\/p>\n

Bishop Thiagarajah\u2019s claim to gratuity for 40+years of service, almost Rs. 3 million as calculated by the Labour Dept., was dismissed by a judge, This judge, <\/span>the Additional Magistrate of Mallakam Courts Ms Subharajini Jeganathan<\/span><\/a><\/span> was interdicted on Sept. 25, 2025 by the Judicial Service Commission for corruption. Geoffrey Alagratnam, PC,\u00a0 <\/span>from the Mann family is appealing her ruling.<\/span><\/p>\n

No Justice in Sri Lanka<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Sri Lanka, including the church, is incapable of dispensing justice. PM Harini Amarasuriya made grandiose press-promises that if we came to her with any problem, she would look into it.<\/p>\n

Thereupon I wrote to her of how Board Members (crooked depressed-caste Pastors)\u00a0 <\/span>have been looting Baldaeus Theological College by the Nilaveli Beach (founded by my late brother through funds he raised). The looting is to the tune of over a billion rupees using the premises for running campsites Evangelical and Pentecostal churches. They used a court case to prevent me, President of the Board, from stepping into the college on an ex parte<\/i> court order by District Judge M. Ganesharajah who has since been terminated by the JSC for corruption. The PM has not responded to me. The court order remains in effect. I cannot step into the college because the Company Secretary Edgar Thamboo has not registered the last legitimate election and will listen only to the robber pastors who pay him without my permission as President.<\/p>\n

News from Terrible Trinco<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

I fear the worst. Trinco is a battleground as Tamils are visibly cleansed of Trinco by the day. My former parish priest Fr. Joseph Charles told me of seeing Tamil traders in 1983 sliced into two at the Trinco market. Sinhalese are settled in Jaffna and Navatkuli. Buddhist statues remain in defiance of court orders. We are the land of savages.<\/p>\n

The news from Trinco is that the police are being used to take away things from Tamils by the beach behind the central bus-stand. Obviously, the government is issuing the orders. On Tamil TV I saw monks beating up the police with no government action. English TV keeps silent.<\/p>\n

But our Parliament defends our thugs in robes. Sri Lankan Speaker of Parliament, Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne, has proposed listening to the guidance of the Maha Sangha<\/span><\/a><\/span> (the Buddhist clergy) to improve the country’s political culture. He said so in March 2025 at a ceremony at the Sri Sumana Shailarama Temple. But these men are savages as seen in the photo, often womanisers at Peradeniya where, as my wife says, girls would not sit next to them because they pinch. Even the police have no rights as the assaulting monk was not charged. Politicians in Parliament have turned the police-assaulting thugs into heroes.<\/p>\n

Dayasiri Jayasekera, eye-witnesses then told me, bailed out and drove away from Puttalam police those thugs who assaulted Muslims. He responded to the Minister of Public Security Ananda Wijepala<\/span> saying the Trinco matter would need to be resolved by the courts. <\/span><\/p>\n

Jayasekera strongly objected with his predatory and hedonistic instincts that the constitution \u201cgives Buddhism the foremost place<\/span><\/a><\/span>.\u201d Does it mean that monks can assault anyone including the police with impunity?\u00a0 <\/span>The monks\u2019 savage thuggery is now endorsed in Parliament!<\/p>\n

After Jayasekera\u2019s intemperate speech, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa delivered a strong condemnation of the police actions, reminding Parliament that Chapter 2 of the Constitution grants Buddhism the foremost place and obliges the State to protect the Buddha Sasana.\u201d<\/p>\n

What? Impunity to assault anyone? With such impunity already enjoyed following anti-Tamil and anti-Muslim riots, Tamils and Muslims cannot live in Sri Lanka.<\/p>\n

Premadasa who, much to my joy, promised to implement the 13<\/span>th<\/sup><\/span> amendment in full<\/span><\/a><\/span> in India on Sept. 15, now says we must listen to Buddhist monks. We did not vote for monks but for AKD. Why would we, when they are often rowdies?\u00a0 <\/span>I am fully deflated by Premadasa\u2019s\u00a0 <\/span>volte face<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Sadly, Aura Kumara Dissanayake is also back-tracking; waffling in fact like a politician. As The Deccan Herald<\/i> puts his changing positions<\/span><\/a><\/span>, \u201cHe has historically\u00a0opposed the 13th Amendment\u00a0to the Sri Lankan Constitution but has recently offered\u00a0ambiguous or shifting positions\u00a0on its implementation, particularly regarding the full devolution of powers.\u201d<\/p>\n

We cannot live peacefully or peaceably under dishonest politicians who forever cheat us. Friends criticise me now for any pro-peace stand I have taken. \u201cDoes not work with the Sinhalese,\u201d they say.<\/p>\n

The East Timor Example<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Ours has been made a state for the Sinhalese-Buddhists only, with no place for minorities, not even a bishop. The state is incapable of dispensing justice because violence has the protection of the Buddhist religion.<\/p>\n

However, we cannot have another disastrous war. Tamils who voted for the NPP are regretful. There is antipathy for sentiments against the LTTE.<\/p>\n

To avoid another pointless war, we must look to how the Indonesian oppression of East Timor was settled. <\/b>It was through a combination of<\/p>\n

1. A United Nations-sponsored referendum for self-determination,<\/p>\n

2. Immense international pressure on Indonesia, and<\/p>\n

3. The deployment of an international peacekeeping force.<\/p>\n

These in concert led to East Timor becoming a fully independent nation in 2002. It is the only solution to Tamils without another war.<\/p>\n

Appendix<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Thiagarajah has politely asked Padmathayalan to make arrangements to pay the following:<\/p>\n

Accounts of Amounts Payable by the J.D.C.S.I and the Board of Directors of Jaffna College to me<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Note<\/b><\/span>: Audited, submitted to the diocesan council(s), and approved.<\/span><\/p>\n

For the Years 2006 to 2018 LKR 49, 616, 140 –\u00a0 <\/span>00<\/p>\n

For the year 2019 LKR\u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>9,210, 564,\u00a0 <\/span>00<\/p>\n

For the year 2020 LKR \u00a0 <\/span>9, 140, 087,\u00a0 <\/span>50<\/p>\n

For the year 2021 LKR 7, 913, 077, 20<\/p>\n

For the year 2022 LKR 6, 271, 951, – 60<\/p>\n

TOTAL: LKR82, 151, 820, -30<\/b><\/p>\n

Summary<\/b><\/span>:<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

2006-2018 LKR 49,616,140 \u2013 00 2019-2022 LKR 32,535,680- 30<\/p>\n

TOTAL<\/b><\/span>: LKR: 82, 151, 820 \u2013 30<\/b><\/p>\n

II. <\/b>Dues on Account of Buildings, Properties, Renovations etc<\/b><\/span>., (Details were sent to the bishop LKR 17, 392,182 \u2013 00 <\/b><\/p>\n

III. <\/b>Dues on account of Home for Elders, Inuvil<\/b><\/span>. (Pleasant Cottages)<\/b><\/p>\n

Amount Advanced: <\/b>LKR 1, 350 \u2013 00<\/p>\n

Reimbursed: <\/b>LKR\u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>990, 000 \u2013 00<\/p>\n

Amount Due: <\/b>LKR: 570, 350 \u2013 00<\/b><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

IV.: Rent payable to Bishop Emeritus by constitutional requirement from<\/i><\/b> January 2023: i.e 36 months, until December 2025<\/b><\/b><\/p>\n

1. Basic Rental: LKR 90,000 \u2013 00<\/p>\n

2. Electricity, water, maintenance: LKR 44,500-00<\/p>\n

Total: LKR 134,500 \u2013 00 per month<\/p>\n

For 36 months: LKR 4, 842, 000 -00<\/p>\n

Family is willing to meet (b)<\/p>\n

Hence payable: LKR 3,240,000 \u2013 00<\/b><\/p>\n

V. Payable by the Board of Directors, Jaffna College<\/b><\/span> (JCBoD)<\/b><\/p>\n

(a)_Paid to the Lawyers in Boston (arranged by his local Lawyers Niran Anketell and M. A. Sumanthiran): USD <\/b>10,000 + 10,000 + 32,344-96 = USD 52,344-96<\/b><\/p>\n

(b) For negotiations in Boston \u2013 Hotel charges \u2013 <\/b>USD 749 \u2013 63 and Airfare<\/b>: LKR 326,000 \u2013 00<\/p>\n

What the Bishop is owed, must be given to him, not least because it is approved by the Council. Silence on debts returnable is the cowardly or vengeful debtor\u2019s escape route; not the Church\u2019s.<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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