Dear Mr Haufman,

I believe you have correctly identified a hidden agenda by the TSA, the authors of this article and it’s sequel. They have been unable to defend what they have written in either article, casting serious doubts on their characters and the contents of their articles.

The attempt is at throwing mud at Sri Lanka by vilifying the rehabilitation program using insinuation and innuendo. Unfortunately for them Subramaniam Sivakamy alias Thamilini, the former Women’s Division Political Chief of the LTTE, has opted to undergo rehabilitation in open court and will be eligible for release in one year.

The LTTE within the Diaspora used pressure to deprive Thamilini of even a Lawyer. Her original lawyer, TNA Parliamentarian from Jaffna, Appathurai Vinayagamurthy abandoned her completely.

Subsequently, a Sinhalese Lawyer appeared for her free of charge and was successful in securing rehabilitation at a much maligned (by the TSA) Protective Accommodation and Rehabilitation Centre (PARC).

TSA’s first article appeared on June 16 and the second on June 24th, just 8 days later. Though 17 days have elapsed, the much publicised 3rd part has not appeared yet.

I doubt whether TSA has the guts to respond to this comment and the previous two comments that I addressed to them directly.

Here is the story of Thamilini’s Rehabilitation, that has already commenced on July 2nd, as related by an Ethnic Tamil.

Fortunately, it is not from the Daily News and hence cannot be labelled Govt Propaganda. I believe in ethical journalism. That means taking responsibility for what one writes, amongst others. TSA has consistently failed to do that.

The readers can form their own informed judgement about the Drum Beating of the TSA.

Selected Extracts from DBS Jayaraj’s web site. Emphasis, when used, is mine.

Monday July 2nd 2012 was a red letter day in the life of Subramaniam Sivakamy alias Thamilini. The 40 year old former women’s division political chief of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)formally began her period of rehabilitation on that day at the Protective Accommodation and Rehabilitation Centre (PARC)in Poonthottam, Vavuniya.
Rehabilitation is a prerequisite to her ultimate release.

The rehabilitation period will be for one year during which time Sivakamy will undergo training in computers. …. Thamilini will be eligible for release from detention in July next year. ……..

Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian from Jaffna, Appathurai Vinayagamurthy, was her lawyer.

(my note: He was the lawyer at the beginning and he abandoned his client due to suspected pressure from the rump LTTE within the Tamil diaspora)

Since Thamilini was a senior LTTE member her arrest and detention attracted much interest. The LTTE and pro-LTTE elements in the global Tamil Diaspora were enraged. They were angry that Thamilini had surrendred to the armed forces instead of consuming cyanide. A vicious allegation was spread that Thamilini was among a group of ex-LTTE cadres collaborating with the state to identify and ferret out other members of the LTTE avoiding detection and capture. This writer too has written about this in the past. This allegation however was proved untrue.

Against that backdrop , Thamilini’s lawyer of the time, Appathurai Vinayagamurthy suddenly lost “interest” in his client. He simply dropped the case and stopped representing her in court. The reasons for this are unclear but there is conjecture that Vinayagamurthy succumbed to intense pressure from extremist sections of the Diaspora who regarded Thamilini as a traitor.

Whatever the reasons may be the abandoning of Thamilini by Vinayagamurthy left the latter lawyerless. ………………….

Thamilini was also able to telephone Manjula Pathiraja the lawyer who had been watching her interests in the legal sphere in recent times. Pathiraja who has a penchant for appearing on behalf of the perceived underdog in many cases had been doing so”pro bono” for Sivakamy without being paid any fees. After Thamilini relocated to Poonthottam, her sister in Norway rang the lawyer and asked him what his fee was. Pathiraja told her “No fees”.

Thamilini who is reasonably fluent in Sinhala thanked Pathiraja profusely and kept repeating that she would never forget what he had done for her. The lawyer had not merely proffered legal advice and services but had also been providing personal advice and moral support to his client.

(My note;- Abandoned by a TNA politician/lawyer and saved by Manjula Pathiraja a Sinhalese Lawyer appearing free)

After being taken into custody at Vavuniya, Thamilini had been brought to Colombo,interrogated and produced at the Chief magistrates courts. Subsequently she was remanded to Welikada pending further investigations. Being a high profile LTTE leader , she was interrogated intensively and separately by different agencies such as the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Terrorism Investigations Department (TID)National Intelligence and Military Intelligence.

At times she was taken out of Welikada remand for interrogation. Her lawyer Manjula Pathiraja had raised objections to this procedure and the Colombo chief magistrate courts even ordered a probe into this. However it must be said that Thamilini had not been physically ill –treated or subjected to any type of brutality at any stage by any agency. ……….

…………………..The well-wishers of Thamilini also wanted KP and NERDO to help as in the cases of Satyadevi and Sasirekha. A couple of these well-wishers accompanied a group of NERDO affiliates on a trip to Colombo.Sri Lankan officials acceded to KP’s humble request and set up a meeting with Thamilini’s well wishers. All matters were frankly and thoroughly discussed during the course of which officials outlined their concerns and constraints.

The well-wishers then contacted Thamilini’s mother and sister living in Kilinochchi but found that they did not have the capacity to proceed further on this matter. Thereafter the Defence establishment “bent the rules for a good cause” and facilitated an unorthodox meeting between the well-wishers and Thamilini with officials being present. The defence officials also conversed with Thamilini and probed her mindset with pertinent questions.

Though suspicious at the start , Thamilini mellowed soon when she realized that the meeting was in her interest. She stated very clearly that she had no intention of engaging in any form of political activity in the future. Lamenting the loss of her youthful years as a member of the LTTE and regretting the long years of absence with her mother and the grief she had caused ,Sivakamy kept on saying she only wanted to make up for the lost years by staying with her mother. Thamilini was also ready to undergo rehabilitation. She also signed a document outlining her intentions and expressing willingness to be rehabilitated.

Even the tough defence officials were touched by Thamilini’s disclosures and guarantees. Satisfied that she would pose no security threat if released the officials prepared a report and submitted it to the Defence secretary. Gotabhaya Rajapaksa perused the reports and recommendations both favourable and adverse and weighed the pros and cons. Finally the Defence secretary arrived at a positive decision and approved the transfer of Thamilini to Vavuniya for rehabilitation. Furthermore the “Thamilini model”of release after rehabilitation inspired and set in motion a scheme that would enable more detenues to gain freedom in due course.

……… It was parallel to this course of events that Thamilini’s case was being argued in courts. The question of her being released after rehabilitation required an answer at the highest levels because it amounted to a policy decision. The input of the Defence secretary was needed in this respect. Gota Rajapaksa delved into the issue at a top level conference and arrived at a decision to authorize release after rehabilitation for Thamilini. This decision was conveyed through appropriate channels to the CID who in turn communicated it to courts. Thereafter lawyer Pathiraja met Thamilini on June 20th and obtained her consent. Colombo chief magistrate Singappuli ordered that Thamilini be transferred for rehabilitation on June 22nd

The decision taken to release Thamilini after rehabilitation was also a positive fore runner of things to come. The Defence secretary gave his approval to initiate procedures enabling other detenues like Thamilini who had not been indicted to be released after obtaining rehabilitation. This decision was conveyed to detenues at various jails through respective superintendents of prisons. Plain sheets of paper were provided for those willing to be rehabilitated to write letters requesting the same. The detenues grasped the opportunity eagerly. An avalanche of letters ensued.

Sadly the plan to release after rehabilitation has now been put on hold as a result of the Vavuniya jail revolt . It is as if some sinister forces are at work to disrupt the very positive climate created by the Defence secretary’s commendable decision and sabotage the release of detenue scheme in progress. While understanding the necessity for reviewing the situation because of the Vavuniya incident this column urges the continuation of the lenient policy adopted by the Govt. The persons responsible for the Vavuniya incident can be penalized but the others in Vavuniya and elsewhere who had no hand in this matter should not be deprived of the opportunity to be released after rehabilitation.
Interested readers can access the full article here http://dbsjeyaraj.com/dbsj/archives/7806
End extract

Dear Mr. Huffman,

As has been made explicitly clear in this article (at the bottom), and part two of the series, TSA will publish the questionnaire in full anon. Part Two in fact contains Parts A-C of the questionnaire.

As an avid reader of the government’s propaganda through the Daily News from your abode in Japan, it may be the case that you can’t or don’t comprehend alternative narratives that critique government, or the concern over the timbre of the questions, which are so bizarre, they are incredible. We suggest you keep following the site for updates from TSA, and try to comprehend the absurdity of the questions posed, and indeed, the very real violence of the questions given to whom they were directed, and by whom the answers are read.

As is far too often the case, this article in Ground Views has an agenda and is selectively picking what it wants to fit that agenda. As many others have stated above, it would have been better to include the whole questionnaire. From a psychological perspective this questionnaire could be considered quit ingenious. There are in fact no wrong or right answers, if this is indeed the case. It can be taken by an educated individual to be a means of understanding the mind set of the individual and a means for assessing the current preparedness of the individuals to enter society. Obviously the author of this article has not taken such points into consideration, which is only another tick against the validity of such articles on this site.

@ Luxmy. I see.

But then the QUESTIONS tally with all what this regime is doing not only in the Northeast but all over the country.

Sorry, I wasn’t looking up this page for a while.
The QUESTIONS !!

Thanks Luxmy. What is the bombshell?

Dear Padraig
Sri Lankans are indebted to you for your kind attention to their conflict.

Many conscientious Sihalese told LLRC all the things the Great Lady is speaking. Many have been telling nearly the same things to successive Sri Lankan governments in the last 5/6 decades.

Though we don’t have someone like the Great Lady right now we had SJV Chelvanayagam who tried all possible peaceful ways with many governments.
In his deathbed he said (actually to a Sinhalese friend) that Tamils are going to have a bad time and that even God cannot change the hearts of Sinhala masses and politicians and that Prabakaran will give them a good excuse.