Eight Policemen, Three Bikes And Abusive SMSs From Overseas!
By Emil van der Poorten -January 26, 2014
Emil van der Poorten
I don’t know whether to document and hang on the wall of my workspace accounts of recent events in my life as “badges of honour” or just to be simply ashamed of what my motherland produces in the matter of alleged “humanity” that chooses to indulge in efforts at “communication.”
In any event, I expect that when I next bump into an old schoolmate of mine from our days at Trinity, he’s going to (again!) gently chide me with the reproach that I am “an angry man!” As I told him then and as I will tell him again with (additional proof for my averment), “Sorry, my friend, those with whom you work, shoulder to shoulder, give me little choice, unless I’ve had my backbone removed since last we met!”
These are again becoming very “interesting” times for me and those around me thanks to the “civilization” that the Rajapaksa regime has visited on our island home. And let me be bloody clear on the subject, this IS my home whether its current rulers believe so or not!
Anyway, let’s get on to the cause of my ire today.
Less than a week ago, I was told that there were seven or eight members of the local constabulary under and around a small bridge on the road that serves me and several other families in the area. There were, apparently three motor bikes on the verge of the road. Wild creepers had been draped in an effort to conceal them from the gaze of any passers-by. Several of the policemen were under the bridge and a few were on the bridge deck at the time my informant encountered them. Every single one of them was from the local station and my informant, as one whose son-in-law is, in fact, a local policeman, knew whereof he spoke.
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We publish below the statement in full
GTF Has Lost Their Way, No Transparent And No Democratic Governance – British Tamils Breakaway
January 24, 2014
“Despite some initial successes, GTF and its leadership have gradually lost their way – principally because they have turned their back on GTF’s founding values, such as collective decision-making, democratic governance, transparency, inclusiveness and grassroots activism.” says the British Tamils Forum.
Issuing a statement on BTF’s relationship with Global Tamil Forum the BTF says that the GTF has failed to articulate the ongoing structural genocide of the Tamils in the island of Sri Lanka and the BTF distance itself from any of GTF’s initiatives or actions.
We publish below the statement in full
Suren Surendiran -Spokesperson GTF
We are aware that there is some confusion among Tamils regarding British Tamils Forum’s participation in Global Tamil Forum (GTF). By releasing this statement, we hope to fulfil our duty towards the Tamil people by clarifying the facts.
When the war in the island of Sri Lanka came to a bloody end in 2009, there was an urgent need to unite Tamils around the world and give collective voice to their aspirations. British Tamils Forum, along with a number of other country organisations, played a pivotal role in facilitating and setting up the entity Global Tamil Forum, basing it on clear founding values and principles that are enshrined in its constitution.
The vision of GTF’s founding organisations was to take on board all diaspora Tamils and representative organisations across the world who seek justice and freedom – to give Tamils across the world a collective voice and representation. With this vision in mind, GTF was founded by 14 country organisations, which took the role of Founding Member Organisations. It was envisaged that, with time, other organisations would join – strengthening both GTF and the international Tamil diaspora. At its inception, GTF inherited the collective leadership of the Founding Member Country Organisations to spearhead the struggle globally.
