Actor And Poet Jayapalan Is An Innocent Man
Pearl Thevanayagam
“First they came for journalists, then they came for human rights activists; then they swooped down on university students and political dissenters and lately poets are taboo from attending meetings and seminars”. – (Apologies to Lasantha Wickrematunge for pilfering his final editorial he wrote before he was gunned down on January 08, 2009 by the government)
All V.I.S Jayapalan wanted was to visit his mother’s grave since he could not visist her when died in 2008 due to the then prevailing conditions of military offensive against the LTTE. I met him in Oslo in a Tamil shop in October 2004 and he carried a satchel bag. Little did I know he had acted in Indian films and wrote scores of poetry.
Arrest of poet Jayapalan: Suppression of right to speak and misuse of visa regulations
- Tuesday, 26 November 2013
The Free Media Movement considers the arrest and detention of renowned Tamil poet Shanmugampillai Jayapalan (known as V.I.S. Jayapalan) as one more incident of suppression of freedom of expression rights in Sri Lanka and abuse of the visa regulations.
FMM unequivocally condemns the arrest and detention of V.I.S. Jayapalan and demands his immediate release.
Jayapalan, a Tamil Norwegian who was visiting Sri Lanka was arrested on 22nd November 2013. He was on his way to family ancestral home in Vattakkadu, a village in the Killinochchi district of the Northern Province. He was going to visit his mother’s grave as he couldn’t attend her funeral when she passed away in November 2006. Since his arrest on 22nd he has been detained at the Mirihana immigration detention centre located near Colombo.
According to the Police spokesperson the reason of the arrest was ‘disrupting the ethnic harmony in the country' and 'violation of visa regulations'. This is clearly a charge related to freedom of expression in Sri Lanka. Few days ago Jayapalan had discussed the issues of media and reconciliation at the Jaffna Media Centre with a group of journalists. FMM reliably understands that he has not said any thing to disrupt ethnic harmony in that discussion. Police has concocted the so-called allegation to arrest and detain Jayapalan, seemingly for political reasons. He has been a strong critic of present government.
Arrest and detention of poet Jayapalan on the pretext of violation of the visa regulations is a one more incident in series of suppressive acts in recent times.
On 30th October immigration and police intelligence officials placed Director of the Asia Pacific office of the International Journalists Association, Jacqueline Park with her deputy Jane Worthington under unofficial detention. They were arrested at a media workshop organised by the FMM. They were interrogated for long hours and detained in the hotel rooms for two days without any valid reason. The pretext used was again violation of visa regulations.
On 10th November two opposition parliamentarians from Australian and New Zealand were detained by immigration officers on the pretext of violation of visa regulations.
They were about to share their findings with media at the office of the Tamil National Alliance in Colombo when immigration officials descended and confiscated their passports.
Channel 4 media team, including Callum Macrae and four other journalists who came to cover the CHOGM too were forced to leave the country by intimidations and accusations of the visa regulation violations.
These developments of increased surveillance and high handed intimidation of foreign nationals sends chilling message to the local media and human rights community that dissent and free expression is an offence in Sri Lanka. No doubt these incidents will further shrink the space for free speech and human rights activism in Sri Lanka.
The Free Media Movement calls upon the government to reconsider and stop this practice of using visa regulations to suppress freedom of expression rights in Sri Lanka. Continuation of such a policy will only further erode the Sri Lanka's national as well international image.
Jayapalan, a Tamil Norwegian who was visiting Sri Lanka was arrested on 22nd November 2013. He was on his way to family ancestral home in Vattakkadu, a village in the Killinochchi district of the Northern Province. He was going to visit his mother’s grave as he couldn’t attend her funeral when she passed away in November 2006. Since his arrest on 22nd he has been detained at the Mirihana immigration detention centre located near Colombo.
According to the Police spokesperson the reason of the arrest was ‘disrupting the ethnic harmony in the country' and 'violation of visa regulations'. This is clearly a charge related to freedom of expression in Sri Lanka. Few days ago Jayapalan had discussed the issues of media and reconciliation at the Jaffna Media Centre with a group of journalists. FMM reliably understands that he has not said any thing to disrupt ethnic harmony in that discussion. Police has concocted the so-called allegation to arrest and detain Jayapalan, seemingly for political reasons. He has been a strong critic of present government.
Arrest and detention of poet Jayapalan on the pretext of violation of the visa regulations is a one more incident in series of suppressive acts in recent times.
On 30th October immigration and police intelligence officials placed Director of the Asia Pacific office of the International Journalists Association, Jacqueline Park with her deputy Jane Worthington under unofficial detention. They were arrested at a media workshop organised by the FMM. They were interrogated for long hours and detained in the hotel rooms for two days without any valid reason. The pretext used was again violation of visa regulations.
On 10th November two opposition parliamentarians from Australian and New Zealand were detained by immigration officers on the pretext of violation of visa regulations.
They were about to share their findings with media at the office of the Tamil National Alliance in Colombo when immigration officials descended and confiscated their passports.
Channel 4 media team, including Callum Macrae and four other journalists who came to cover the CHOGM too were forced to leave the country by intimidations and accusations of the visa regulation violations.
These developments of increased surveillance and high handed intimidation of foreign nationals sends chilling message to the local media and human rights community that dissent and free expression is an offence in Sri Lanka. No doubt these incidents will further shrink the space for free speech and human rights activism in Sri Lanka.
The Free Media Movement calls upon the government to reconsider and stop this practice of using visa regulations to suppress freedom of expression rights in Sri Lanka. Continuation of such a policy will only further erode the Sri Lanka's national as well international image.
