tamilweek.com/news-features

by D.B.S. Jeyaraj

Two employees were killed and three injured when armed Tamil youths suspected of belonging to the Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP)attacked the office of “Uthayan” a Tamil daily published in Jaffna. Five armed youths speaking fluent Tamil were involved in the attack which caused casualties among the non – editorial department staff though the assailants had come in search of two journalists working on the newspaper. The gunmen had also wrecked office equipment including computers before they left.

It was around 7. 30 in the evening on May 2nd when a young man wearing black trousers and a dark blue shirt arrived at the front office entrance of the “Uthayan” office located in a builiding , once owned by a prominent Aayurvedha doctor, on Kasthuriyar street in Jaffna town. He informed the unarmed security personnel from a private firm on duty at the entrance that he wanted to meet Mr. Kuganathan of the editorial dept.

Kuganathan called Kugan is a senior reporter at Uthayan. It is Kugan who travels frequently to Kilinochchi to attend press conferences held by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) or interview tiger officials for his paper.Kugan had also gone to Geneva for the latest round of talks between the Government and the tigers.

Since the newspaper adopted certain procedures for security purposes the young man was told that he could not meet Kuganathan and that he could write down his particulars and reason for wanting to meet Kugan on paper which would be passed on.

Thereafter the youth wanted to meet Jegatheewswaran called Jegan another senior editorial staffer. Jegan was the usual night editor but was on leave on that day. Upon being told that Jegan was not working that night the young man got visibly angry and telephoned someone on his cellular phone. In an angry voice he told someone in Tamil ” Inge karaichhal. Udane Vaangadappa” (There is a problem here. You all come immediately).

By this time some employees had recognized the young man as someone often seen at the EPDP office on Sridhar theatre or in EPDP vehicles. This recognition led to some concern and fear. At this point four men wearing dark clothes and in balaclavas masking their face rushed in. They had been waiting in a three – wheeler and motor cycle parked close by on the road.Two of the youths had guns believed to be T – 56 ’s or AK 47’s. The other two had hand guns.

The gunmen now began demanding that they be taken to the editorial department to meet Kugan. The panic stricken “Uthayan” employees began to move away from the spot. The front office had the administration, advertising and circulation departments. The editorial dept was at the back on the upper section of a newly constructed extension.No outsiders are allowed in to the editorial.

Two of the gunmen ran inside the office searching for the journalists but were unable to locate the editorial dept. Meanwhile the others began firing at random within the office.Employees began running for safety as the firing in bursts began. The gunmen also fired at and also smashed the office equipment. The computers were wrecked. Some employees were hit as the gunmen targetted them.

The gunmen were unable to find Kugan or the other journalists on duty. There were four people in the editorial section but they were all unharmed. But two other employees were killed. One was 35 year old Sureshkumar Thevasagayam the circulation manager. The other killed was 28 year old Ranjithkumar the circulation superviser. Three persond were admitted to the Jaffna hospital were Thayaparan, Satheesh and Uthayakumar all from the circulation dept. Two others received minor non – gunshot wounds.

The assailants sped off in their vehicles towards the Manipay road side. There were two army sentry posts on either direction of Kasthuriar road but no security personnel attempted to stop the vehices. In fact no security person was sighted at the time of or immediately after the attack.

It is suspected that the armed youths belonged to the EPDP. In recent times the EPDP has enhanced its ranks by enlisting members of the Karuna faction, PLOTE mohan group members and EPRLF Razeek group remnants. While Social Services minister Douglas Devananda and others like Maheswari Velayutham, S. Thavarajah etc present the “democratic” face of the EPDP to the world at large other sinister elements working alongside the security forces are engaged in violent activity.

Many of the recent assassinations in the North – East are attributed to the EPDP .The people killed were Tamil civilians suspected of having links to the LTTE or being tiger sympathisers. It is also common knowledge in the north that EPDP members demand money from businessmen regarded as LTTE supporters. Those who pay up are spared while others who refuse are killed. EPDP controlled media then depict these killings as having been committed by the LTTE.

[Hours before the attack on the Uthayan newspaper and the dawn of the World Press Freedom day that falls today, the media rights groups in Sri Lanka organized a vigil opposite the Fort railway station last evening to remember their slain colleagues, the majority of whose murders still remain unresolved crimes. A large number of foreign journalists who have arrived in Colombo to participate at the World Press Freedom Day events at the BMICH also joined the Sri Lankan journalists in the vigil. Pic by Manoj Ratnayake - Daily Mirror]

The reason for targetting the “Uthayan” newspaper is seen as politicallly motivated.The “Uthayan” is a Tamil daily published in Jaffna from 1986 onwards. Its sister paper “Sudaroli” is published from Colombo since 2000. Its managing director is Mr. Saravanabhavaan who earlier ran a finance company in Jaffna that wound up business amidst controversial circimstances leaving many depositors high and dry. The Managing editor is Mr. Vithyadharan who worked earlier in the “Dhinapathy” run by the MD Gunasena group. Both Saravanabhavaan and Vithyatharan are close relatives.

The “Uthayan” and “Sudaroli” have been pushing an unambiguous pro – tiger line in their editorial columns. Their websites proudly displayed pictures of LTTE leader Velupillai Prabakharan reading the papers avidly. The only instance of the tiger supremo posing for an “advertisement” boosting privately owned newspapers.This phenomenon has made many suspect that the LTTE had invested heavily in the journals.

The newspapers also maintain close contact with LTTE leaders like Anton Balasingham and Suppiah Paramu Thamilselvan.This enables the newspapers to publish many scoops and exclusives relating to LTTE affairs. This in turn has led to many news agencies and journalists quoting the “Uthayan/ Sudaroli” in their reports. The news and views expressed are often cited as reflecting LTTE thoughts accurately.

The newspapers also carry venomous articles and news items attacking Tamil individuals who anger the LTTE. TULF leader Veerasingham Anandasangaree has been often attacked. So too have been Lakshman Kadirgamar and Douglas Devananda. Even journalists like this writer have been attacked in these columns. Tha hatchet job on myself was done at the behest of a veteran tiger ideologue.

It is this impression that the “Uthayan/ Sudaroli” was pro – tiger that may have led to this attack. It is possible that the management had been approached for “Kaappam” and been refused. This may have led to the attack. Individual journalists like Jegan who wrote the highly popular “Theradi Arattai” (chariotside gossip)political column or Kugan the accredited political affairs reporter may have been the specific targets to drive home a lesson.

Sadly the point missed in these types of action is that every newspaper or journalist is entitled to freedom of _expression. The LTTE through its violent acts in Sri Lanka and abroad terrorised Tamil journalists into toeing their line. The Tamil weekly” Muncharie” that I edited in Toronto had to cease publication because the tigers intimidated advertisers and Tamil shopkeepers selling the paper. I was also the victim of assault and threats. I mention this to illustrate that the LTTE is no respecter of press freedom.

Having “disciplined” the Tamil media into following their line the LTTE has in recent times not felt any threat from the media. They are “conditioned” like Pavlovian dogs and follow the approved line without any pressure. But the anti – tiger groups resent this. Their efforts to mould Tamil media in their favour are yet to bear fruit. One major reason for this apart from LTTE conditioning is the opporessive activity of the state and its agencies. Most Tamils have strong feelings about this.

The anti – tiger groups are also as bad as the LTTE on issues like media freedom/ Sadly individual journalists have been attacked and killed.Nimalarajan, Nadesan, Sivaram, Sugirtharajan were all killed by anti – tiger elements. Sugirtharajan was the “Uthayan” reporter for Trincomalee.

It is against this backdrop that the attack on “Uthayan” office has to be viewed. The paper has often fallen afoul of the military in Jaffna too. A few years ago grenades were thrown at the office. Bombs were also thrown at the Colombo office killing a security guard.What seems to have transpired now is a convergence of interests between security personnel and Tamil paramilitaries in targetting the “Uthayan”. It does seem unbeliveble that such an attack could have been launched without security force support.

My position on this issue is clear. I do not for a moment approve of the Uthayan or its despicable editorial policy. It deserves the highest condemnation. At the same time I strongly support the “Uthayan’s right to express its views. However much I disapporove of it I do recognize and accept it as their fundamental right. No one can deny them that right. Least of all by cowardly attacks like these where innocent employees were killed and injured. I condemn this attack on “Uthayan” vehemently and urge that those responsible be arrested.

Given past history this is not going to happen. Already the security forces have concocted a story where they claim to have fired at two persons on a motor cycle near the Sivan temple. The men had “escaped” after conveniently dropping a T – 56 for the security men to recover. When the UNP’s Karu Jayasuriya telephoned Mahinda Rajapakse to protest at the attack the President said that security personnel were fighting with the suspected assailants even as the telephone conversation was on. We can confidently assume that Douglas Devananda will be regaling the media soon with his “discovery” that the LTTE was responsible for this and was now trying to tarnish the image of the EPDP.

“Uthayan” editor Vithyatharan who was in Colombo at the time of the attack told media that a Tamil paramilitary group was responsible. Managing director Saravanabhavaan told President Rajapakse the same when Mahinda said “this has been done to discredit the government”. The “Tamilnet” says that an EPDP member was seen among the attackers.

What is tragic and ironic about the incident is that it happened on the eve of World press day. A three day Thamasha is organized in Colombo for the event. It was only in the evening that journalists demonstrated in Fort protesting attacks on the medisa. Journalists were being hosted for dinner by media minister Yapa when news of the Uthayan attack was received. Media movement convenor Sunanda Deshapriya expresed his protest at the incident and most Sri Lankan journalists walked out from dinner in solidarity with their beleaguered colleagues. They were expected to boucott the medi award function to be presided over by Rajapakse.

Media organizations in Lanka and abroad have issued condemnatory statements. This is most welcome. One only hopes that these media organizations will be critical of the LTTE when the tigers attack journalists too. The Sri Lankan media in general and Tamil media in particular are under grave threat. The “Uthayan” attack is symptomatic of this. The attack on “Uthayan” has to be condemned strongly. My deepest sympathies to the families of the innocent victims. [transCurrents.com]

Contact DBS Jeyaraj : djeyaraj2005@yahoo.com