The benign parliamentarian from Batticaloa
January 1st, 2006
By D. B. S. Jeyaraj
Joseph Pararajasingham is the latest in a long line of parliamentarians done to death by political violence in Sri Lanka. The 71 year old politician was shot dead within the hallowed precincts of the St. Mary’s Cathedral in Batticaloa at 1.10 am on Christmas Day.
Pararajasingham was attending the Christmas midnight mass conducted by Bishop Kingsley Swampillai, the Catholic prelate for the Trincomalee -Batticaloa Diocese. He was returning to his pew after partaking of Holy Communion at the hands of the Bishop when the assassin seated a few pews behind him walked forward and opened fire. While Joseph was killed his wife Sugunam and seven others were injured in the firing.
The mortal remains of Joseph Pararajasingham were laid to restat the family plot in Batticaloa’s Aalaiyadicholai burial grounds on Thursday, December 29. The body lay in state at the Subharaj theatre owned by the family, for the Batticaloa public to pay their respects. The funeral was held at the family residence on Lady Manning Drive. The body was then taken in procession to the cemetery for the final farewell.
It was indeed heart-wrenching according to those presentto see Sugunam Pararajasingham sobbing unconsolably. The Pararajasing- hamswereto celebrate theirgolden wedding anniversary in 2006. Sugunam still receiving treatment for her injuries had only been told on the day of the funeral that her husband of 49 years was no more. Their daughter and two sons now living abroad along with other relatives were trying to console the grieving widow.
Joseph Pararajasingham was of Jaffna origin, having been born in Manipay on November 26, 1934. Incidentally November 26 is the birthday of Velupillai Pirapaharan and the late Lalith Athulathmudali. The family moved to Batticaloa when Joseph was three years old. Joseph therefore grew up in Batticaloa and lived there as a “Mannin Mainthan of Mattakkalappu” (son of the Batticaloa soil).
He had his education at St. Michael’s College under the benevolent guidance of many American and European missionaries. He was a lanky youth who played soccer and basketball and also was an athlete. A particular favourite of the sports crazy Fr. Weber after whom the Batticaloa stadium is named, Joseph excelled in the high jump event and represented St. Michael’s at the public schools.
Joseph’s wife Sugunam nee David, studying at St. Cecilia’s Convent was also good in sports during her schooldays. According to old friends they were attracted to each other because of this. Sugunam whose family was also of Jaffna origin with roots in Thondamanaru had two first cousins who were also parliamentarians from Batticaloa.
One was Rajan Selvanayagam who was second MP for Batticaloa from 1970 to 1977. He was elected as an independent but crossed over to the SLFP later. The other cousin was Nimalan Soundaranayagam who was elected on the TULF ticketas Batticaloa District MP on October 10, 2000. He was shot dead by the LTTE then commanded in the east by “Col.” Karuna within a few weeks of the poll.
Journalist
Joseph worked as a technical draughtsman at the Batticaloa Kachcheri from the mid ’50s. He retired under Official Languages Act provisions in the late ’60s and became a freelance journalist. Joseph cut his teeth in journalism on the Suthanthiran owned by S.J.V. Chelvanayagam and edited by S.T. Sivanayagam of Batticaloa. Later Sivanayagam fell out with Chelvanayagam andwent on to edit the Dinapathy and Chinthamani published by the Dawasa group of newspapers.
Joseph became the Batticaloa correspondent for both papers. Since he was a government servant then the stories and articles from Batticaloa in Tamil appeared under his wife’s name. The byline was Sugunam Joseph. Since Joseph was proficient in English he also became the Sun and Weekend correspondent. After he retired from government service he wrote under his own name as P. Joseph.
It was as P. Joseph that he was known for most of his life. It was only after he entered full-time politics that he gave emphasis to the Tamil name Pararajasingham in preference to the Biblical Joseph. He is still known to old friends as “Joe.”
Though Joseph was offered a staff reporter post at the editorial department in Colombo he declined it as he wanted to live in Batticaloa, his homeland. It was indeed tragic that he had to leave the comparative safety of Colombo and return to his native soil for Christmas and meet death in the Batticaloa Cathedral.
Manager
Joseph also worked as manager for many years of the Rajeswara theatre in Batticaloa owned by the businessman Eeswaran. In later years Joseph went on to buy the Imperial and rename it Subaraj after his son who died in the ’80s. He also became a successful entrepreneur and owned a tourist inn and shopping complex in Batticaloa.
These too were named Subaraj after the departed son. Their only daughter Subodini and one son Subakanth live in Canada now. The other son Subajith is in Britain. All three are now in Sri Lanka for the funeral.
Joseph was an ardent Tamil nationalist from his student days. He joined the Federal Party led by the “Gandhi of Eelam” S.J.V. Chelvanayagam in 1954. Joseph and Sugunam who got married in 1956 participated in a massive political demonstration on the day of their wedding. It was a protest over Sinhala being made the sole official language.
Disciple of S. J. V.
Due to his government job and journalism Joseph kept a low profile as far as active politics was concerned. He played a prominent behind the scenes role in Federal Party politics in Batticaloa. He was a devout disciple of Chelvanayagam and fervently believed in non – violence as a political creed.
Tamil unity was the need of the hour in the ’70s. The FP became an integral component of the Tamil United Front (TUF) in 1972. This became the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) in 1976. With Chelvanayagam dying on April 26, 1977 the leadership mantle fell on the shoulders of Amirthalingam and Sivasithamparam. One post-Chelvanayagamproblem that arose was the sidelining of Chelliah Rajadurai.
Rajadurai, a blue-eyed boy of Chelvanayagam had been the first MP for Batticaloa since 1956. In 1977 the TULF nominated him as the official party candidate and also nominated the fiery Tamil poet Kasi Anandhan as the FP candidate for Batticaloa. Rajadurai had the sun and Kasi Anandhan the house as their respective symbols. With Kasi Anandhan riding a wave of popular support on account of his long period of incarceration under the Sirima Bandaranaike regime, he was expected to de-throne Rajadurai.
It was obvious that the TULF hierarchy was using Kasi Anandhan to oust Rajadurai from centre stage in Batticaloa. The FP old guard in Batticaloa including Joseph rallied firmly around Rajadurai. They took up the position that they had to support the “official” TULF candidate. Rajadurai won but went over to the UNP in 1979. Staunch Tamil nationalists like Joseph did not follow suit but remained TULF loyalists.
It was in the late ’80s that Joseph came into his own. The TULF, TELO and EPRLF came under the TULF umbrella and contested the 1989 elections. Joseph encouraged Amirthalingam to contest in Batticaloa. Amirthalingam was put up by Joseph and Sugunam at their own house during the polls campaign. Joseph now an independent entrepreneur also contested.
Since Amirthalingam was a “Jaffna man” who had parachuted into Batticaloa, a malicious campaign on regional lines was undertaken against him as an outsider. Joseph however remained steadfastly loyal and backed him firmly. By doing so Joseph proved that his position on Rajadurai in 1977 was a principle-based stand and not due to personal bias for Rajadurai or against Amirthalingam.
Initially both Amirthalingam and Pararajasingham lost in 1989 due to the IPKF inspired manipulation of votes. Amir however entered parliament on the national list. After his assassination Mavai Senathirajah was nominated to the post. Meanwhile Batticaloa MP Sam Thambimuthu and his wife Kala were gunned down by the LTTE opposite the Canadian High Commission in Colombo in 1990.
Joseph’s turn
With Amirthalingam being dead it was now the turn of Joseph – next on the list -to become MP. He did so. But before taking up office he checked with the LTTE. Nagarajah a lawyer cum journalist in Batticaloa clarified matters with the eastern Tiger hierarchy and obtained the green light. It was only after that Joseph took his oaths.
Joseph then was president and Nagarajah secretary, Eastern Province Journalists Association. Nagaraja is now in Australia writing under the pseudonym ‘Eluvankaraiyan.’
The Indian army had left Sri Lankan shores in March 1990. War had broken out between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in June 1990. The situation was tense and fraught with violence and danger. As ordinary Tamils the Pararajasinghams too were not immune in this situation.
The well-known Indian journalist Anita Pratap in her Island Of Blood relates an anecdote pertaining to the Pararajasinghams. She writes of how their son Subajith, an undergraduate abroad had come for a vacation and got trapped in the war situation. Joseph had requested and Sugunam pleaded that the son be escorted safely to Colombo by Anita so that he could return to the USA.
Anita had obliged because as the mother of a son herself she had been immensely moved by the plight of Sugunam. It was with great difficulty and considerable danger to herself that Anita succeeded in providing safe passage to the Pararajasingham scion. It was a few months after this that Joseph became an MP.
It was against such a dangerous backdrop that Joseph Pararajasingham became Batticaloa MP. The east was under severe strain. Violence had been directed against innocent civilians in a number of places. Movement of people was severely restricted. The safety of Pararajasingham and his wife who accompanied him almost everywhere was under threat.
Despite these difficulties and the dangers involved Joseph and Sugunam were bold and dedicated enough to stay in Batticaloa and do what they could for their people. I include Sugunam along with or on par with Joe because they were indeed inseparable in their personal and political life. Joe and Sugunam were like the Tamil political couples like Amir – Mangai or Sam – Kala.
It was due to the dedicated service of the Pararajasinghams in Batticaloa that the TULF once again established itself in the district. They were indeed a beacon of hope to the beleaguered Tamils of Batticaloa then. A distinctresult of their commitment and conduct was the immense gratitude of the people. This was reflected clearly in the elections of 1994 where three TULF members were returned to parliament as MPs from the district. Joseph himself won an unprecedented majority and was hailed as the “Mudisooda Manan” (uncrowned king) of Batticaloa. He also became the TULF parliamentary groupleader.
Continued from last week
I had written last week that Joseph quit government service in the late ’60s. That was incorrect. Joseph gave up government service in the early ’70s. This again was due to an interesting reason. As stated earlier, former Batticaloa MP Rajan Selvanayagam was a first cousin of Sugunam. Her mother was the sister of Rajan’s father S. A. Selvanayagam, a very rich Batticaloa businessman. Rajan contested Batticaloa as an independent in 1970.
Joseph however was a staunch follower of S. J. V. Chelvanayagam and therefore a federalist. The FP candidate was Chelliah Rajadurai. Despite the close relationship with Rajan Joseph backed Rajadurai. In spite of strong familial pressures Sugunam too supported her husband against her cousin. Rajan a very controversial and colourful personality in his own right was very angry at this “filial betrayal.” 1970 saw both Rajadurai and Rajan being elected as first and second MPs of Batticaloa.
Soon Rajan aligned with the government of Mrs. Bandaranaike and became politically powerful. One of his earliest acts of political revenge was to transfer Joseph out from Batticaloa Kachcheri to Nuwara Eliya. Instead of going to Nuwara – Eliya Joseph opted to retire from government service. He then tried his hand at many businesses ranging from mineral water manufacture to wholesale paper sales.
Joseph became the manager of Rajeswara theatre. Thereafter he bought the old Imperial movie theatre and re- christened it after his departed son Subaraj. Incidently Joseph was an avid filmgoer and was interested in talking about films. He also started the Subaraj tourist Lodge and the Subaraj shopping complex.
The early ’90s was a very difficult period for Tamils in Batticaloa and Amparai Districts. The LTTE was restricted mainly to the jungles and some areas of the western hinterland known as Paduvankarai or shore of the setting sun. The Tigers did not have a permanent presence in the littoral to the east of the Batticaloa lagoon known as Eluvankarai or shore of the rising sun. Tigers used to infiltrate this area for certain purposes at times.The littoral was better developed and had the bulk of the population. It was also heterogenous with interspersed Tamil and Muslim villages adjacent to each other.
The state unleashed a scorched earth policy on eastern Tamils in order to subdue them. Apart from the army and police the Special Task Force was deployed almost exclusively in Batticaloa – Amparai. Sections of the air force were also used here. Sinhala and Muslim homeguards were used as auxiliary troops. Some Muslim groups were armed by the state and used against Tamils. Tamil – Muslim enmity was encouraged. Disappearances and civilian massacres were very much on the increase. As a result of these measures helpless eastern Tamils were cushed underfoot beneath the military jackboot.
Became MP
It was during such a bleak and dark period of the eastern Tamils that Joseph Pararajasingham became an MP from the district. The other two Tamil MPs were former Batticaloa Central College Principal, Prince Casinader and ex-TELO military commander Karunakaran alias Jana. The Muslim MPs were Hizbulla of the SLMC and Basheer Segu Dawood.
Basheer is now the chairperson of the Muslim Congress. At that time he was in the EROS backed independent list. Alagu Gunaseelan was elected first on the list but forfeited the seat due to a LTTE inspired boycott of parliament. Basheer next on the list became MP just as Joseph became MP due to Sam Thambimuthu’s death.
Joseph Pararajasingham despite his physical stature was not an aggressive personality. He was a very powerful orator in Tamil on political platforms but soft spoken and mild-mannered in everyday life. While his wife Sugunam is of a fiery temperament at times, Joseph was generally quiet and gentle. He avoided arguments of any type.
Joseph was very much like a gentleman of the old school type who does not like to offend or cause controversy. Becoming Batticaloa MP in the ’90s however thrust him into an entirely new role. Joseph was compelled to take on the powers that be in his role as representative of the Tamil people.
Though the role of a Batticaloa parliamentarian was thrust on Joseph due to the deaths of Amirthalingam and Thambimu- thu the benign Pararajasingham was of the view that it was in his destiny to be so. The stars had already ordained such a role for him he felt. He had always been interested in politics but never had any lofty ambitions of entering parliament. His attitude however changed in the late ’60s while working under former GA Kathirgamanathan.
A “Kandam” reading astrologer from India read the Ola leaves and predicted that Pararajasingham will one day enter parliament. Old friends recall him being excited by it and even telling his boss the GA about it. He was subject to some teasing as “our future MP” by friends for a while due to this. Fate however decreed that he be an MP representing Batticaloa.
The affected Tamil people turned to Joseph, the new MP with their problems and grievances. In the old days the problems were about jobs, transfers, etc. Now it was literally and metaphorically existential issues. Disappearances, arrests, torture. assaults, killings, shelling, bombing, firing, detentions etc. were the problems. Joseph telephoned military STF and police officials; he wrote letters and faxed them to the president, defence secretary, defence service chiefs and ministers; he visited places where state terror had been unleashed and spoke reassuringly to victims and next of kin; he ensured that medical treatment was afforded to injured people.
Cordial relations
Being generally an amiable person with good inter – personal skills Joseph maintained cordial relations with the serving police and defence service officials of the district. Sugunam who functioned as his secretary would get the people on the telephone and Joseph would speak. At times he would go personally to meet them. The late General Lucky Algama was very hostile to Joseph initially. After some interaction they became quite friendly to each other.
This does not mean that Joseph was able to remedy the grievances of the people at all times. That could not be so given the fact that a war was going on. But where Joseph succeeded was in providing solace and limited succour to affected people. He provided a ray of hope for the beleaguered ordinary people of Batticaloa. They felt that there was one man at least to whom they could turn to in their troubles. He and Sugunam listened intently. Sugunam would provide refreshments and at times meals to the poor people who had travelled from far. She had a good rapport with the womenfolk.
C. P. Chandraprema in his interesting series of articles in The Island on the state of the UNP writes of the “Manushakama” provided by Vijaya and Chandrika Kumaratunga to aggrieved people during the dark days of the J.R. Jayewardene regime. They lent a sympathetic ear and a shoulder to cry on for the people. It was this empathy and humanity that endeared them to the people at that time. Joseph and Sugunam too provided this same “Manushathanmai” or “manithabimanam” to the afflicted people of Batticaloa who sought their help. I must emphasise here that these attributes of the Pararajasinghams were not necessitated by politics alone. It was inherent in their nature to be so.
Personal link
Let me digress slightly and refer to my personal links with the couple. I first met Joseph and Sugunam in 1977 in Batticaloa. Though only a cub reporter at the Virakesari I had been transferred to Batticaloa as staff correspondent. As mentioned earlier in these columns the 1977 elections had seen a bitter division within TULF ranks. Rajadurai and Kasi Anandan were contesting each other. The Kasi Anandan lobby accused the Batticaloa correspondent, veteran journalist V. S. Kathirgamathamby of being partial to Rajadurai. They demanded an impartial reporter and so Kathirgamathamby was called to Colombo and I was sent to Batticaloa.
Joseph and Sugunam like Sam and Kala Thambimuthu were supportive of Rajadurai. The Rajadurai camp viewed me suspiciously as being pro – Kasi Anandan. Joseph, Sugunam, Sam and Kala however were exceedingly nice towards me. Joseph in particular was a ‘competitor’ since he worked for Dinapathy then.Yet he was always helpful and hospitable. He would often provide transport to attend election meetings.
It was Joseph who briefed me vividly of the prevailing political situation in the east. Their house then was on Central Road only a few yards away from the Virakesari office. I would often drop in or be asked to drop in for a chat. I called them “Annan” and “Akka” then and continued to do so.
Kept in touch
Later on I returned to Colombo but Joseph remained in touch just like Sam. Both of them were very useful and important news sources from Batticaloa for me while working on The Island and later as Colombo correspondent of The Hindu. I myself put him in touch with a few foreign journalists who were also impressed by his contacts and information. Soon Joseph was very much in demand as a news contact from Batticaloa to many foreign journalists. After coming to Canada I was editing two Tamil weeklies the Senthamarai and Muncharie. Once again Joseph provided a lot of information from Batticaloa.
With two of their children and other close relatives being in Toronto the Parajasinghams often visited Canada. I used to meet them very often here. Initially the TULF was treated as enemies by the LTTE in Canada.The local LTTE media blacked out the TULF and even Kumar Ponnambalam then. The only Canadian Tamil journals giving Joseph and Kumar positive publicity were the ones edited by me. I used to do a radio programme then and interviewed both much against the wishes of those running it.
The situation changed later on. The LTTE was angry for my reporting the facts about Operation Riviresa and conducted a campaign against me. The shop owners selling the paper and advertisers were intimidated. I had to shut my paper. The Tigers however got close to people like Joseph and Kumar. Both were lionised by them in Canada. Despite the close links I had had with Kumar he began avoiding me in order to curry favour with the local Tigers. But Joseph was different.
Pressure by LTTE
In spite of pressure applied by the LTTE in Canada Joseph never cut off links. He would always meet me in Canada as in the past. I continued to visit them at their daughter’s place and Sugunam would always be extra hospitable just as in her own house.
Joseph was also troubled by my estrangement with the LTTE. He would often advise me that an antagonistic relationship was not helpful to either. Joseph even tried to mend fences and gave up his efforts only because I asked him to.
Our relationship became slightly strained after the Anandasangaree episode. I was critical of the TNA for surrendering their independence to the LTTE and attempting to oust Sangaree according to their diktat. Joseph was initially soft on the issue and tried to make Sangaree withdraw on his own. The LTTE however increased pressure on him . Joseph then was compelled to take a very strident role in ousting Sangaree.
I was extremely critical. Joseph explained that he had no choice in the matter as Tamilselvan demanded it. Though we lost contact thereafter Joseph would always inquire after me from mutual friends or acquaintances. I have no doubt that he would have spoken to me amiably if I had called but then I did not. Who knew then that his life was going to be snuffed out so soon?
Not a follower of LTTE
One thing I learnt from his own lips was that Joseph was no blind follower of the LTTE. He was unhappy about many of the acts of omission and commission by the LTTE. I am sure that he would have made his views known gently and unobtrusively to the Tigers. But he was a genuine Tamil nationalist at heart. Joseph was of the firm view that despite the flaws the Tamil people had to back the LTTE unitedly.
“Nammadai aatkaluku ithu vilanguthillai” ( Our people don’t understand this) he would often say. I realised that this was what drove him in his politics and made him take up certain stances. I of course do not subscribe to the view that one has to submit one’s independence and reason to the LTTE in the name of Tamil nationalism. Whether one accepts or rejects this view it was a genuine conviction for Joseph. He was not an opportunist. One must respect those views. He had every right to his political opinion and course of action.
What is tragic however is that none of the principal Tamil militant groups had ever respected this right. The tendency of killing those with different political views is very much prevalent in the LTTE. But other groups were not very different either.
The current tragedy undergone by eastern Tamils is the targeting of civilians by both the mainstream LTTE and its renegade faction led by “Col” Karuna. Both sides kill people on the basis that those who are not with us are against us. Sadly all those being killed are eastern Tamils regardless of their political opinion. Joseph is one more victim in this vicious cycle. In spite of the red herring of “Sennan Padai” or Sennan force the finger of suspicion clearly points to those of the Karuna faction as being responsible.
To be continued next week
The 1990-94 period was a very challenging phase in the life of Joseph Pararajasingham. The difficult period was like baptism of fire for the new parliamentarian. Yet he coped with the challenge creditably. He was aided greatly in his duties by his wife Sugunam.
Apart from attending to the individual problems faced by the ordinary Batticaloa people at the hands of the police, STF and security forces, Pararajasingham through Neelan Tiruchelvam played a quiet role in keeping various human rights organisations and diplomatic missions informed of the security and human rights situation in Batticaloa. This helped increase pressure on the Ranasinghe Premadasa regime.
This led to the Soza Commission of Inquiry being appointed to go into various eastern massacres like the ones at Sathurikondan and Vantharumoolai. Joseph played a key role in arranging people to testify. It was the Soza Commission which revealed for the first time the real identity of the notorious master butcher of those atrocities “Capt. Munas.” This military intelligence official who posed off as a Muslim was greatly responsible for aggravating enmity between Tamils and Muslims in Batticaloa. Though Tamils hated this man who they thought was a Muslim, it became known that he was really a Sinhala man named Richard Dias.
There were also the massacres at Maiyalanthanai and Kokkadicholai in 1992. Again Premadasa appointed commissions. Later legal action was initiated. Joseph again played an important role in helping prepare testimonies and witnesses. It was Joseph who persuaded a reluctant Kumar Ponnambalam to come to the east and look after the interests of affected families in these proceedings.
Later during the Kumaratunga regime there were some incidents too where Joseph was once again a voice of the people. One prominent instance was the case of Koneswari Murugupillai. This woman living at the Central Camp colony was gang raped by some cops who later killed her in a horrible manner, by exploding a grenade in her vagina. With Joseph highlighting this incident enraged policemen took the unprecedented step of issuing summons to the Parliamentarian.
Remarkable victory
It was the cumulative result of the selfless work done by Joseph and Sugunam in the early ’90s that led to Pararajasingham’s remarkable victory in 1994. The TULF given up as ‘defunct’ raised itself up again with five MPs. Batticaloa District had three, namely Pararajasingham, Selvarajah and Thurairajasingham. Joseph himself won handsomely with a tremendous tally of preferential votes.
Realising that he was now the mainspring of the TULF in terms of popular support, Pararajasingham demanded and obtained the TULF parliamentary group leader position. It should have been rightfully Trincomalee district MP Arunasalam Thangathurai’s as he was more senior. Later Joseph rose in TULF ranks to be senior vice -president, making him next in line for leadership.
After 1994 Joseph began getting closer and closer to the LTTE. The very same man who got a journalist colleague to check with the LTTE before taking up an MP position in 1990 was now personally close to the eastern Tiger hierarchy. Apparently his relationship with Karuna was always lukewarm but Joseph and Karikalan, the political commissar got on very well. The LTTE began cultivating him.
Soon Joseph was travelling widely abroad meeting with foreign politicians and officials and human rights activists. He briefed them vividly of the Tamil plight in Sri Lanka with special emphasis on the eastern situation. He participated in many conferences too including the controversial meet organised by former Indian Defence Minister George Fernandes in New Delhi.
With relations improving between Joseph and the LTTE the overseas branches of the Tigers also began warming up to him. Like Kumar Ponnambalam the benign Batticaloa MP too was a regular speaker at LTTE and pro-LTTE meetings abroad. Also the various LTTE media organs were in regular contact with him to get his views on a number of matters regarding the north-east.
Worried man
It is interesting to note that while Joseph was edging closer to the LTTE many of his TULF colleagues like Thangathurai, Sarojini Yogeswaran, Pon. Sivapalan, Pon. Mathimugarajah, Neelan Tiruchelvam etc. were being bumped off mercilessly by the Tigers. Though he kept up a cheerful exterior there was no doubt that he was worried. I remember once Sugunam Akka lamenting to me in his absence Endraikku irundhaalum ivarukku ivangalaal thaan saavu. Naan vayittril neruppai kattikonduthan irukkiren (one day or the other his death will be through them. I go about with fear in my guts). She calmed up when Joseph appeared.
I also recall an incident when the LTTE whisked Joseph and Sugunam away at Vantharumoolai for an impromptu meeting with Karikalan at Thihilaveddai. This led to a lot of wild rumours in Batticaloa. Thereafter they went to Kallar and returned late. Hearing that Joseph had been taken by the LTTE I phoned Batticaloa to find he was safe and sound. He had a request. “please inform my children that nothing happened to me. They may hear of this rumour and get worried.” I obliged him of course. This incident helps illustrate the insecurity of his position vis a vis the LTTE then.
This increased identification with the LTTE may have helped reduce his fears and insecurity in relation with the Tigers. It may also have increased his popularity with pro-Tiger expatriates and media. But it had its flip side too. His persistent refusal to say anything negative about the LTTE publicly and his glossing over the human rights violations of the Tigers reduced his credibility as an independent politician and human rights champion.
In the mid ’90s for example the Canadian Refugee Lawyers Association invited him for a public lecture on the Sri Lankan human rights situation. He made a good presentation with a serious flaw. The violations of the LTTE were not mentioned by him. The question time demonstrated that many Canadian lawyers were unhappy about this glaring omission. Though he visited Canada often after that meeting Joseph was never asked to lecture by that association again.
Close to LTTE
Yet there is another incident I am aware of which throws light on another of the man’s facets. A youth from Batticaloa had made a refugee claim here. One of the main reasons for his fleeing Sri Lanka was persecution at the hands of the LTTE. His lawyer in Canada upon hearing that the Batticaloa MP was in Toronto thought of seeking a letter supporting the claim from Joseph. The client knowing about Joseph’s ‘closeness’ to the LTTE was doubtful whether Pararajasingham would oblige. When Joseph was approached he promptly gave an endorsement letter with a remark ‘keep it confidential please.’ The lawyer and client were pleasantly surprised.
This increasing identification with the LTTE reached its zenith when the TULF as part of the TNA became the virtual political front of the Tigers. This helped them win seats in parliament but eroded their credibility in the eyes of the international community. They were seen as terrorist accomplices by some foreign governments.
One such example was Canada. There was a time when Pararajasingham met with the foreign ministers of Canada in Ottawa on a one-to-one basis. Yet the same man was denied a visa to Canada like many other TNA parliamentarians last year due to their perceived LTTE connections.
Whatever Joseph’s support level among Tamil expatriates his support base in Batticaloa began diminishing too. If the 1994 result was the high watermark in Joseph’s political life subsequent elections saw his popularity declining. In 2000 October, the TULF got only two seats in Batticaloa. It was not Joseph but Nimalan Soundaranayagam, his wife’s cousin who got more preferential votes. Joseph came second with a narrow lead over Selvarajah.
In 2001 December, the TULF contested as part of the TNA. Three Tamils were elected. The first was Thangavadivel the TELO candidate. The second was Krishnapillai of Tamil Congress. Joseph came a poor third. Interestingly, Joseph had ‘lost’ to Selvarajah at first count. A disappointed Joseph left the Kachcheri with his supporters. It was the recount which saw him elected with a razor thin majority.
In 2004 the elections were held a month after the Karuna rebellion. The TNA swept the polls in Batticaloa in what was a rigged election. This was so in the north too. Joseph however had an unpleasant surprise. He had lost. In fact he had only a few hundred more votes than the murdered Rajan Sathiyamoorthy. Comparative novices like Kanagasabai, Thangeswari and Jeyanandamoorthy had been elected.
Against Karuna
Among the prominent politicians of Batticaloa it was Joseph alone who spoke out against Karuna after the split. He condemned the regionalism preached by Karuna and supported Praba in the name of undivided Tamil nationalism. It was a very bold stance but Joseph was only being true to himself as he had always stood for those policies as a disciple of S.J.V. Chelvanayagam. Joseph was close to Karikalan and not Karuna. The former had gone over to Kilinochchi after the split. This too may have influenced Joseph’s position but his genuine Tamil nationalism cannot be disputed.
What is sad however is the silence he maintained over the atrocities committed by the mainstream LTTE to his TNA colleagues after the Karuna split. Rajan Sathiyamoorthy was killed and even his buried body was dug out and half-burnt by the Tigers. Kingsley Rajanayagam who won the election was terrorised into forfeiting his parliamentary seat. Kingsley was later killed by the LTTE. Joseph’s silence in these matters could be understood but not condoned.
Though Joseph lost the parliamentary hustings after 14 years of being Batticaloa MP, he re-entered parliament as a national list MP. Why did the man described once as the ‘uncrowned king of Batticaloa’ lose miserably? Karuna’s men rigging the poll is one answer but there is no denying that his voter base had been steadily decreasing over the past years. Two reasons could be adduced.
One was his total subservience to the LTTE. The TULF was preferred by the people as ‘moderate independents’ and not to become slaves to the LTTE. Joseph in the east and Senathirajah in the north were seen as the two who began selling out the party to the Tigers. The second was due to his image being tarnished through charges of corruption and nepotism. Some of these charges were levelled against him even after his death by his detractors.
All these however do not take way the fact that the man did not deserve to be murdered in this fashion. It does seem obvious that Joseph could not have been murdered without the connivance of sections of the security forces and their minions. Joseph was a marked man by Karuna after the split. Like Sivaram he opposed the regional tide and stood by Pirapaharan. Realising he was a target Joseph avoided coming to Batticaloa unnecessarily.
Yet he did come to Batticaloa weeks before Christmas and stayed there. He had not reached there on Christmas eve. Family members also say that there was no telephone call as alleged in some quarters and that the family always attended midnight mass for Christmas. They had gone to church at about 10. 30 p.m. though the service was to begin at 11. 30 p.m.. Finding the church virtually deserted they had turned back but returned in a few minutes after the arrival of Sugunam’s brother, Robin’s family.
Christmas day
The assassins had first arrived at the St. Anthony’s Church in close proximity to the St. Mary’s Cathedral. They had discarded their military fatigues inside the vestry and moved out quietly in civilian dress. They were tall and darkish. According to church-goers they were not seen before. Moving into the cathedral compound through a side gate they had entered through one of the side entrances to the cathedral at the front. This was when the Pararajasinghams with some others were kneeling at the altar for bread and wine. The choir had full view of the assassins but did not suspect anything.
Even as Joseph got up the assassins moved closer to the altar and the Bishop. Sugunam got up a few seconds later. Joseph who had started returning to his pew paused and turned halfway to allow Sugunam to precede him. It was at this point that the assassins started firing. The congregation, choir and clergy including Bishop Swampillai dived to the floor in panic. Joseph fell down. It is believed he was killed instantly.
Sugunam and seven others were injured in the firing. The assassins then walked down the aisle firing away in the air. According to some reports they got into a waiting three- wheeler which headed out to the security camp located at an old toothpowder factory premises. The Patpodi camp as it is known is the operational safe house of the Karuna faction in Batticaloa town.
Pararajasingham had five police bodyguards with him at the time of the incident. They were standing outside the church with one of them popping in every five minutes to check whether the MP was safe. None of the bodyguards fired back at the assassins. Their explanation was that it may have hit the people. But then they did not fire even after the assassins went outside the church. Furthermore there were no attempts by the guards after the firing to take Pararajasingham to the hospital. Finally Joseph was taken by a nephew in his car and Sugunam by a niece in her car to the hospital. Fellow parishioners helped carry them to the vehicles.
Apart from the official bodyguards the surrounding area usually teems with security personnel. Additional men were deployed for Christmas. When people came to church the area was bristling with men. But when they returned none was seen. In fact security people reappeared only after an hour or two. The intriguing conduct of the bodyguards as well as the mysterious disappearance of the security personnel along with the safe and easy passage by the assassins indicate clearly that the killing was an officially sanctioned unofficial execution.
End of an era
Subsequent events confirmed this further. Leaflets claiming credit in the name of a hitherto unknown ‘Sennan Force’ were widely distributed in Batticaloa. A stack of leaflets were thrown at the front door of the Pararajasingham’s residence too. It became well known that the security forces were distributing the leaflets. A second wave of leaflets were distributed a few days later. An ominous warning in the leaflet was the threatening demand that all eastern TNA parliamentarians should resign or face the consequences. In another significant pointer many of the anti-Tiger media abroad commenced a vilification campaign against Joseph. This was in typical Tiger style but only the roles were reversed.
Thus ended the life of Joseph Pararajasingham. Given the circumstances of his assassination it is the state which stands in the dock. The Karuna faction was only an instrument of death. The brutal manner of Joseph being killed in the church after partaking of communion within full view of the congregation in the presence of the Bishop suggests the depths of depravity.
Whatever his politics, Joseph Pararajasingham did not deserve to die or be killed in this manner. His death will be a great loss to the people of Batticaloa. It fills me personally with great sadness. My condolences to Sugunam Akka and the children and other relatives of Joseph Annan.
May his soul rest in peace!
Entry Filed under: transCurrents
