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By Ranee Mohamed

Journalist Parameshwary Munusamy and roommate Susanthi Thambirajah were arrested by the Terrorism Investigations Department (TID) on Thursday, November 23 in Wellawatte in the vicinity of the Savoy Cinema.

They were arrested on suspicion of being suicide bombers.

Information is now surfacing that the 24-year-old journalist working for the Mawbima newspaper and her roommate, whom she met by chance on a decision made by her house-owner to have another boarder, were not as dangerous as she were purported to be.

Though initial reports published that they had explosives with them, investigations reveal that no claymores, mines or such other explosives were found in the possession of these young women or in their boarding house.

Questions are being asked whether the Mawbima newspaper itself is being targeted, with this arrest of their crime reporter by the authorities for having published an article critical of the government that irked the authorities and caused a furore at the highest circles just two weeks back.

The newspaper at that time was personally warned by the powers that be to refrain from publishing articles critical of key players in the government in general and the Defence Ministry in particular.

Meanwhile, Journalist Parameshwary Munusamy and Susanthi Thambirajah are being held at the Terrorist Investigations Division (TID) on suspicion of being suicide bombers. Investigations into the sequence of events in the life of Parameshwary Munusamy casts doubt on these allegations.

Parents of Parameshwary Munusamy who visited the offices of The Sunday Leader related in anguish the story of their wrecked lives during the war in Kilinochchi and their difficult advent thereafter to Mawathurai in Ulapane, living in a rented shack, then proceeding to buy a small house in Gampola in search of better times..

“We lived in this small house together happily,” cried Raman Valiamma (44) mother of four. “My son is Munusamy Muthukuramar (26), Parameshwary comes next, and Munusamy Kamaleswary (21) and Moganeswary (17). Now I have lost one of my daughters, think of it happening to one of your daughters – being taken away this way. I as her mother, come to you, come to the authorities to tell you that my daughter is innocent. We are innocent people and we make a living with jasmine flowers. We also have two shops in Mayura Place to which we send our flowers. Most often when Parameshwary did not have money, she used to telephone us and tell us to send her some money for her daily living to the shop in Colombo. I cannot believe what has happened to her,” cried the mother in anguish.

“Parameshwary was very ambitious. She wanted to work as a journalist, wanted to be a success in life. She has followed several educational courses, among them a course in broadcasting techniques as the Mass Media Institute of Ceylon. We are so poor, the war gave us such hard times. Only God and I know with what difficulties I have brought up these children. My son could not continue his education. He could study only upto grade eight because he had to work as a labourer to fend for his sisters,” recalled Valiamma.

Her aged husband, sitting next to her, Selliah Munusamy was too shaken and too feeble to cry. “Please help us to get back our daughter,” he sobbed.

Meanwhile, the fianc‚ of the other suspected suicide bomber Susanthi Thambirajah said, “Whatever anyone may say, I believe her. She came here to get married to me and I will always love here. There is no truth in this suicide bomber story because I know her so well.” He said his fiancee Susanthi arrived in Colombo with her brother from Ampara. A resident of Colombo 5, and a company executive, he said he had been postponing the wedding because of his personal commitments.

Susanthi Thambirajah, according to him, had been working for Sarvodaya and also for the Sunera Foundation that helps lift the lives of the differently abled. The foundation confirmed her work with them.

Meanwhile, investigations revealed that M. Parameshwary had earlier worked as a journalist for the Sigaram newspaper for two years and the Virakesari newspaper in addition to the SLBC. She had also participated in sports competitions and won several prizes.

“Though we bought a house in Gampola, Parameshwary barely lived there. She did not even know the postal address. Her attraction was towards Colombo. At one time she wanted to join the police,” said her mother. And while working for the Mawbima newspaper, as its crime reporter, Parameshwary had lived in a house down Ramakrishna Road.

The owner of the house in which the two ‘suspected terrorists’ lived, speaking to The Sunday Leader said that Susanthi Thambirajah had arrived in Colombo with her brother who was following a course in engineering studies. Susanthi had stayed at the Ramakrishna Mission on a recommendation letter given by the Sarvodaya movement, he said. The Sarvodaya Movement speaking to The Sunday Leader said that they could not recollect giving such a letter.

Be that as it may, since she could live in the mission on a short term basis, Susanthi had been looking out for accommodation. “It was then that she came to me. Parameshwary was living in my house as a paid boarder at that time. When I asked her whether she would mind if someone else shares her room, she said that she had no objections,” explained the owner of the house in which Parameshwary lived.

Parameshwary had lived in this house as a boarder since June 2005, having secured such lodging after answering to an advertisement in the national newspapers. “In 2005 when Parameshwary answered the advertisement I had paid for and published, I asked her what reference she had and she gave me some police contacts. They told me that she was a journalist and that there was nothing to fear,” explained the owner of the house.

Then, Susanthi Thambirajah had moved in to live with Parameshwary. Thambirajah had left the Ramakrishna Mission on October 29. According to her fianc‚, Thambirajah had also gone to the airport to bid good-bye to some relatives leaving for Canada around November 10.

The situation that led to their arrest began with Susanthi receiving information that her brother had been arrested. “She had been very disturbed that morning and was crying. However when she received a telephone call from her brother telling her that he had lost the way and that she ought to come near the Savoy, she was so happy,” said the house owner.

Her immediate reaction on hearing her brother’s voice was to ask Parameshwary to come with her. When the two had arrived in a three-wheeler, they had been arrested. Some newspapers published reports that they had bombs and claymore mines with them, but information now surfaces that the crime reporter and her roommate had not carried such explosives.

“They were brought to this house after they were arrested and they searched their room, yet found nothing. They took away some of Parameshwary’s journalistic scribbles and told me that they were taking those papers,” said the house owner.

The next morning, Parameshwary’s parents had visitors to their house in Gampola. “They arrived at our house and said that they were from the TID. They were very nice to us and did not scold us, hit us or cause us any harm. They said that they were searching the house and they searched and searched,” said Parameshwary’s mother. “But they did not find anything.”

In Colombo, at The Sunday Leader office, the tear-struck parents were pleading with us to save their daughter. “We wanted to see our daughter badly and went to see her on Thursday to the TID.

The people there were very nice to us. But they said that they cannot let us see our daughter. We begged them to let us see her because we have come from far, but we were asked to come back on Saturday. We do not know much about these places. We do not know the processes and the authorities,” said Valiamma.

But Susanthi’s fianc‚ said that he had been able to see Susanthi Thambirajah and that she had appeared shocked and frightened. “I was not allowed to talk to her, only allowed to see her,” he said.

“I am a mother, what if it happens to your child. This is Parameshwary’s father,” she said holding the quivering hand of her husband. “We are poor innocent people. Ask anyone about Mal Mudalali (flower merchant) and they will be able to tell you who we are. This is a great shame, a serious, yet sad allegation,” she cried.

“I am very sorry to tell you that the Virakesari newspaper for which my daughter Parameshwary worked for, published her name and all these false allegations. Some newspapers have been humane enough not to publish these allegations and her name without first verifying its veracity,” explained the mother.

For the poor parents of crime reporter Parameshwary Munusamy, it is a long way back home to Gampola. Yet this time, they are leaving their hearts and their tears behind, as they sigh at the fate that befell their ambitious daughter turned multilingual reporter. [thesundayleader.lk]