The Test Of An Oppressed Minority – As Tellippalai Is On The Verge Of Flames

By S. Ratnajeevan H. Hoole –APRIL 9, 2021

Prof. Ratnajeevan Hoole

Whether a minority demanding justice (like us Tamils) is using the concept of justice for its own benefit, or, really believes that true justice is important in its fight for justice, makes that minority either great or diminishes it greatly.

We have seen in these pages the story of the  Tellippalai Mission House. Matters came to a boil when an elder of the Tellippalai Parish, Gnanatheepam Rasakanthan, wrote the story in Tamil in Kalaikathir, perhaps the most liberal newspaper in Jaffna which is edited by Mr. N. Vithyatharan.

Gnanatheepam aired the church’s grievances, particularly naming Union College (UC) Principal T. Varathan with connections to the Saiva Maha Sabai which in its opening Facebook page has a photograph of Hitler and a quotation from him. Varathan, say those from UC, has been on visits to India in cooperation with Ma’ravan-pulavu K. Sachithananthan of Siva Senai (which plastered Jaffna with posters in 2018 asking Tamils not to vote for Christians). Sachithananthan is advertised as a Senior Central Committee Member of the ITAK. The Administrator of ITAK, Xavier Kulanayagam, is emphatic that he was never even admitted as a member. That is TamilNet. Very European in appearance, Sachithananthan seems to be trying to prove that he has a pure Hindu bloodline, said a professor who teaches anthropology. Such a phenomenon is also documented by Prof. Stiraat who noted Roman Catholic Sinhalese attacking Tamils in the Kotahena area during riots, even Tamil Roman Catholics, as if to prove their Sinhalese identity.

The Tellippalai Mission House has been owned by the America Ceylon Mission for 200 years and occupied by missionaries. When I.P. Thurairatnam became first  “National Principal” of Union College, by an internal arrangement between the church and the church school, he was allowed to occupy it. When schools-takeover came, the issue was whether the Mission house was the Mission’s or the school’s. In negotiations involving the ministry and the church’s Bishop D.J. Ambalavanar, the church got Mission house and the government got the Parsonage occupied by the “Assistant Priest.” Unfortunately, during the war, maps appear to have been created and when the church returned in 2009 to its location, the school, Union College, had already begun its encroachment redrawing maps to show ownership of Mission House, which however are proven to lie because of extant older maps.

Up to yesterday (8 April) the Church had control of the Mission House. Today Principal Varathan moved into action. He had already had the front gate of Mission House padlocked. Early morning the side gate was ripped off but the church had placed asbestos sheets across. However, a line of students removed the asbestos sheets and were climbing over into the Mission House. The photo shows Theepam watching in a red dress. Principal Varathan was directing the show from the back, violating ICCPR which condemns taking underage children into political action.

Soon the mission house was over-run by the Union College mob of children, alumni, parents, teachers and the Principal.

As if not to be outdone, 4 students entered hospital claiming that “Missionaries” had attacked them, when there are no Missionaries in Jaffna. From yesterday I as a correspondent have been alert to what could happen. From this morning I have been regularly fed from video cameras. The photo-evidence establishes a line of students forming the first phalanx, parents and alumni a second and being directed by Varathan from behind. There are photographs establishing the students removing the asbestos sheets that blocked the side gate, and entering Mission House. It is 3 pm now and I am still receiving my feeds. The priests inside mission house did not assault anyone. If they had, I would have seen it. I doubt that any student self-inflicted injuries and my fear is that communal passions are so high that even the doctors are in the game, admitting students with no injuries. Mathialagan and Sasikala, parents of students whom Theepam identified,  as well as 4 alumni whom she cannot identify, pushed Theepam to the ground and injured her. She has filed a police report. She was hospitalized and delirious, and could be spoken to only through those whom she knew well.

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