United Nations : URGENT APPEAL: RENOWNED TAMIL POET ARRESTED AND DETAINED

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This entry is part 12 of 24 in the series 24 நவம்பர் 2013

Jayabalan

United Nations : URGENT APPEAL: RENOWNED TAMIL POET ARRESTED AND DETAINED

Von Sri Lanka

BACKGROUND:

Shanmugampillai Jayapalan, famously known as VIS Jayapalan in the Tamil literary world, was born in Uduvil, Jaffna in north of Sri Lanka. He began his writing in the 70s while studying at the University of Jaffna and published his first anthology in 1986. Since then he has published at least 12 anthologies of poetry and short novels. As the war escalated, he fled Sri Lanka in 1988 and was granted asylum in Norway. Since then he has been living in Norway as a Norwegian citizen.

His poetry and short novels are among the prescribed text books in many universities and colleges in Tamil Nadu. In 1995, he was awarded as the best immigrant writer by the Norwegian Writers Association. His poetry has been translated into English, Norwegian as well as to Sinhala. In 2009, some of his poems were translated into English and published as a book in Canada – named ‘Wilting Laughter’ – along with selected poems of two other prominent Tamil poets.

In 2011, he received a Special Jury Award for the role he played in the South Indian movie ‘Aaduka’lam’ at the 58th National Film Awards of India.

INCIDENT:

On the 9th of November, 2013 Jayapalan went to Sri Lanka. He had not visited the country since 2006. As a Tamil literary stalwart, he was interviewed by Tamil newspapers in Jaffna and was warmly welcomed by his community..

On the 22nd of October, he went to visit his ancestral home is in Vattakkadu, close to Mankulam in the northern province. He was hoping to visit his mother’s grave as he couldn’t attend her funeral when she passed away in November 2006. On his way, he was arrested by the Sri Lanka police near the area known as Vannivilankulam around noon and was brought to Vavunia, 260 kilometres (162 miles) north of Colombo. Currently he is been held at the  Police Station in Vavunia. He family has not been able to communicate with him and nothing much is known about his current status.

After his arrest, the Sri Lanka Police Spokesman has told the BBC Tamil Service, that he was arrested as he was ‘disrupting the ethnic harmony in the country.’ They have accused him for ‘violating the visa regulations’, though they have not provided any details about the allegations.

ACTION:

Mark your protest. Please send your emails/faxes to:

1. H.E.President Mahinda Rajapaksa
Presidential Secretariat
Colombo 1, Sri Lanka
Fax: +94 11 244 6657
Email: lalith@icta.lk

2. Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa
Secretary – Ministry of Defence and urban development
Tele : +94 11 243 5879
Fax : +94 11 254 1529
E-mail : secdef@sltnet.lk

3. Mr. N K Illangakoon
Inspector General of Police
New Secretariat
Colombo 1
SRI LANKA
Fax: +94 11 2 440440 / 327877
E-mail: igp@police.lk

Series Navigationதுளைகளிடப்பட்ட இதயங்களோடு தேர்தலை நோக்கிப் பயணிக்கும் வடக்குநாஞ்சில் நாடனின் “கம்பனின் அம்பறாத்தூணி”
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3 Comments

  1. Avatar
    புனைப்பெயரில் says:

    இது விசா மீறல் இருக்கிறது என்ற குற்றச்சாட்டு சம்பந்தப்பட்டது. அதனால், இவருக்கு கொடுத்த விசா என்ன மாதிரியான வகையறா… அவர் செய்த செயல்பாடுகள் என்ன என்று தயவு செய்து எழுதவும். பின் கருத்துக்களோ கோரிக்கையோ வைக்கலாம்.

  2. Avatar
    Dr.G.Johnson says:

    I feel United Nations and Commonweath countries are keeping a blind eye towards the problem of the Sri Lanka Tamils. Much has been said in this regard without any beneficial result. This is because the affected people are Tamils. Even in counties where a considerable size of Tamils are settled for generations, they are helpless to impress on their Governments to raise a voice of contemp against the continued atrocities of the Singhala Government on the innocent Tamils. The recent action by the British Prime Minister is commendable like that of the Prime Minister of Canada. In this case a popular Tamil poet and literary figure has been detained under ” the breech of Immigiration Regulations. ” Now they are in an advantageous position to frame any sort of cases against him. Raising our voice or recording our contemp will have only minimal effect on the whole issue. Only the World body could be of any use. But unfortunately all the so- called World bodies are defunct and impotent!…Dr.G.Johnson.

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