Nediyavan threatened Jaffna GA:

Tamils should worship public servants working in North - Emelda Sukumar

By Shanika SRIYANANDA

The Jaffna Government Agent, Emelda Sukumar said that the Norwegian based LTTE leader, Perinpanayagam Sivaparan alias Nediyavan, who has been arrested and produced before the Oslo Court, used to threaten her through e-mails and phone calls and ask her to resign from the post and stop working for the government.

The former GA of Mullaithivu, who served there for over eight years under LTTE control, Sukumar said she used to get threatening calls from a person and later the Tamil diaspora had sent e-mails with a picture of a person claiming that he was the person who threatened her.

“I didn’t take any serious notice of his threats as I am a government servant and I was duty bound to serve my people even though it was under LTTE control. When I didn’t respond to his calls, he started threatening me through e-mails urging me to stop serving President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the caller started to character assassinate through the pro-LTTE website ‘Athirvu’ (Thunderstorm).

Threatening e-mails

I have not met this person called Nediyavan, but according to pictures of the person I received through the Tamil diaspora these pictures were of the person who continuously threatened me.

I have handed over the e-mails, telephone numbers and pictures to the CID”, she said.

She said this person used to threaten her even during the final months of the end battle as she was engaged in distributing essential items including food to displaced civilians in Mullaithivu, sent by the government. “ He urged that I should not be in Mullaithivu and should resign from the post soon and go out of Mullaithivu. Otherwise I will not let you remain to serve in Mullaithivu.

But I continued to serve my people despite my poor health condition after surgery done at Apollo hospital in November 2008”, she said adding that barely 10 days after the surgery she reported for duty as her services were required for the proper distribution of essential food items sent to Mullaithivu, where over 300,000 people were being kept as hostages by the LTTE.

She was asked by the Sri Lanka Army to use a white flag when she comes from the LTTE controlled area and the LTTE had also given her a special permit to get clearance from their entry points to attend government meetings and also to get medicine.

Most senior

Being the most senior Tamil public servant, in the administrative service and also 44th in the entire administrative service, Sukumar said government servants were efficient and were committed to rebuild the country that was destroyed by the LTTE and requested the Tamil diaspora to join and commit themselves to the post conflict development process, to develop the North and East after 30-years.

“Not that all in the Tamil diaspora are propagating the LTTE and the majority of them want to invest in Sri Lanka to help the Tamils in the North. Some have already started investing in education, health and the health sector.

I request those who have not yet come to the North to visit the North and have a first hand experience how the government is looking after the people in the North. People are experiencing freedom after many decades and looking forward for a better future with the end of LTTE terrorism”, she said.

The Jaffna GA, who witnessed LTTE terror for decades and given the best eye-witness account on LTTE’s terror at the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) public hearing sessions, said the time has come for even the Tamil diaspora to abandon their failed missions and join the government to support the Tamils and to rebuild the nation.

Worship

“I always ask my people in Jaffna not to worship gods but to worship public servants like doctors, nurses and teachers who are serving them round-the-clock.

The pro-LTTE Tamil diaspora should come to the Jaffna hospital and see how the Sinhalese and Tamil doctors unitedly are working to save lives.

They are the real Gods and saviours of the Tamils”, she said inviting those Tamils who migrated due to the conflict to return and serve the country.