Colombo targets NPC member Ananthi

Colombo targets NPC member Ananthi for witnessing against Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 January 2014, 07:59 GMT]

“ I am fully prepared to confront the Sri Lankan Ministry of Defence, which has leaked a news threatening to put me through their so-called military rehabilitation,” said Ananthi Sasitharan, the only woman candidate of the Northern Provincial Council (NPC), who also polled largest number of preferential votes next to the chief minister candidate of the NPC. Ms Ananthi Sasistharan was one of the public witnesses at the recent hearings by the Permanent Peoples Tribunal held in Bremen. She also met the US Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues, who visited Jaffna recently and explained to him that what went on in Vanni in 2009 was a genocidal onslaught and that a programme of structural genocide was being stepped up against Eezham Tamils.

The SL Ministry of Defence (MoD) was considering to arrest Ms Ananthi Sasitharan and put her through a so-called rehabilitation programme, reported Shamindra Fedinando, a ‘journalist’ of The Island paper.

Ananthi wouldn’t have adopted such a hostile stance towards the SL government and its military had she undergone the rehabilitation, the paper said citing an unnamed ‘senior source’ of the SL MoD.

Responding, Ms Ananthi Sasitharan said that Colombo was trying to curb the struggle for missing persons. This struggle will continue despite the threats coming from Colombo and its military Establishment, she said.

46-year-old Ananthi Sasitharan is the wife of Ezhilan, the former Trincomalee Political Head of the LTTE and a mother of three girls. She personally witnessed Sri Lanka military taking away her husband at the end the Vanni War in May 2009.

The SL State is still refusing to reveal the fate of those who were filtered away from the civilians and taken into buses to undisclosed detention camps.

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The Island:

MOD ponders rehabilitating NPC member Ananthi

Uthayan faked, SL forces focus on targeting Ananthi

3RD LEAD (Update)

Uthayan faked, SL forces focus on targeting Ananthi on election day

[TamilNet, Saturday, 21 September 2013, 07:18 GMT]
While the Indian media, The Hindu and The Times of India, highlight NPC chief minister candidate Mr CV Wigneswaran condemning the call for Tamil Eelam and the call for boycotting the CHOGM meet, the focus of genocidal Colombo seems to be on targeting Ms Ananthi Sasitharan, the Tamil homeland-based candidate, who has become popular among the people. On the morning of Saturday, which is election day, the popular daily in the North, Uthayan, was faked and in its name, a newspaper was circulated saying that Ms Ananthi has joined the Colombo government. The fake paper cited Mavai Senathirajah. Meanwhile, news reports from several parts of the North said that the occupying SL forces are intimidating and preventing Tamils from voting. In Mullaiththeevu, a voting booth captured by Sinhalese prevented local Tamils from voting. Despite the odds, people are seen actively engaged in voting.

Uthayan faked

Uthayan real

A group Sri Lankan soldiers, who stopped a vehicle, which was taking disabled voters to election booth, opened fire and threatened the organisers, an independent election monitoring group that had organised the transport, news sources in Chaavakachcheari said.

The occupying SL military was chasing away the uprooted people from voting at Maathakal in Jaffna. The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) politicians who went to the voting booth were also harassed by the SL military, reports from Maathakal said.

Also at Thampaaddi in Ooraaththu’rai (Kayts), the people were chased away by the SL military, which was accompanied by paramilitary operatives, initial reports from the islets said.

In Mullaiththeevu, common voting booths were set up for uprooted people from Kokkuththoduvaay and Karunaadduk-kea’ni. Sinhalese settlers in Tamil areas were using the booth in large numbers and the Tamils who went to vote were harassed, the reports from Mullaiththeevu said adding that there were widespread election violations being committed by the occupying SL military in the district.

Meanwhile, the SL military intelligence in Jaffna has launched a systematic campaign to discredit Ms Ananthi Sasitharan, whose residence was attacked by the SL military in the early hours of Friday.

On the election day, the SL military intelligence circulated a fake newspaper in Uthyan layout, which mischievously said Ananthi Sasitharan had joined the Sri Lankan government.

The SL military intelligence has also been spreading the same story earlier through leaflets. But, it has now gone to the extent of faking a mainstream newspaper in Tamil.

At the same time, Dan TV, operated by paramilitary and personalities aligned with the Sri Lankan State, also focused on the same story in their broadcast.

The spurious newspaper in Uthayan layout, faking the Ananthi story in the name of Mavai Senathirajah has also said that Mr Mavai has announced election boycott by the ITAK, the main party in the TNA alliance.

The SL military has also printed thousands of sample ballot papers with UPFA symbol and dispersed them in large numbers in the streets of Jaffna in the psy-ops war waged on the gagged people.

Despite all the odds, the people who seem to have sensed the propaganda, were actively voting as being seen in the following photos taken at a voting booth in Puththoor in Valikaamam East.

The participation is expected to be higher than in the previous elections after 2009, political observers in Jaffna said.

TNA circles were confident that they would gain two thirds majority in the NPC even if 52% of voters are able to part in the voting today.

However, Mumbai-based The Times of India, has stated on Friday that “Rajapaksa party likely to make some inroads in the north Sri Lanka”.

“Despite the Mahinda Rajapaksa regime in Sri Lanka being seen as responsible for war crimes and mass displacement of Tamils in the north, the ruling party's prospects of winning some seats are bright. There are many who think that Jaffna and surrounding areas risk being neglected again by the government if Rajapaksa's party, the UPFA, is kept out of the provincial council,” the paper said.

In recent times, The Times of India and its group of publications of corporate interests are actively engaged in propping up the Colombo-centric State and regime, political observers in Jaffna said.

External Links:

The Times of India:

Rajapaksa party likely to make some inroads in the north Sri Lanka

Ananthi's residence besieged, election monitor attacked by SL military

Ananthi's residence besieged, election monitor attacked by SL military in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 19 September 2013, 19:35 GMT]
More than 200 Sri Lankan military personnel besieged the residence of Ananthi Sasistharan, the only woman candidate of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in Jaffna district in the forthcoming provincial council elections. Initial reports from Araali said that those who were present at the residence were brutally attacked by the occupying SL military that rounded up the house around 00:45 a.m. Friday. At least three, including Attorney-at-Law Subas, who is the Jaffna coordinator of independent election monitoring group, CaFFE, were attacked by the SL military and were struggling to get to the hospital as the tyres of the vehicles were punctured by the soldiers. Ms Ananthi narrowly escaped from the assault as her supporters had managed to send her away over the wall of the residence as the military rounded up her residence.

The latest harassment is reported as the Sri Lankan military establishment has unleashed a campaign against the mother of three, who is the wife of Mr Elilan, the former LTTE Political Head of Trincomalee who is reported missing after he was handed over to the SL military.

Also last Tuesday, Ms Ananthi Sasitharan, narrowly escaped from an attack by alleged Sri Lankan military operatives on her way back from a campaign meeting.

A few minutes before the latest attack, a group of SL military operatives attempted put up posters against Ananthi Sasitharan at the residence of Ms Ananthi. The group has been putting up posters against her at several places in Jaffna city.

When the supporters of Ananthi Sasitharan, present at her residence, came out, the group had run away. But, a few minutes later, SL military rounded up the residence.

The CaFFE coordinator, who had arrived at the site after hearing about the incident, was also attacked despite his identification as the coordinator of CaFFE.

The assisting election officer in Jaffna district, Sivan Suthan Atchuthan, was on his way to inspect the site at the time of this report.

The SL military is being deployed at every junction, from Jaffna city to Araali. The SL soldiers, carrying stop signs, are blocking independent election monitors and journalists from reaching the residence of Ms Ananthi Sasitharan.

Chronology:

19.09.13  Ananthi's residence besieged, election monitor att..

11.09.13  TNA candidate Ananthi narrowly escapes attack in J..

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TNA candidate Ananthi narrowly escapes from attack

TNA candidate Ananthi narrowly escapes from attack in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 September 2013, 10:21 GMT]
The only woman candidate of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in Jaffna district in the forthcoming provincial council elections, Ms Ananthi Sasitharan, narrowly escaped from an attack by alleged Sri Lankan military operatives, who followed her van in a motorbike and a military-like vehicle on KKS Road from Chunnaakam to Ainthu-chanthi, a five-road junction in the suburb of Jaffna on Tuesday. The alleged military operatives got off at the junction and threw a large stone targeting Ms Ananthi, but she ducked as her driver took a turn away from the attackers. The attack comes on the same day as Navi Pillay at Geneva expressed concern for the protection of human rights defenders, journalists and communities she met during her visit from any reprisal, intimidation or attack. Meanwhile, the TNA has demanded confinement of the occupying SL military before the elections.

Ananthi’s vehicle sustained damage. She has lodged a complaint to the leadership of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and told media that she would also report the incident to the election authorities and monitors.

In the meantime, TNA politicians engaged in election campaign said vehicle owners were reluctant to hire vehicles to TNA politicians as their vehicles are being targeted by SL military operatives.

Ms Ananthi was on her way back from election campaign and passed through Chunnaakam where SL presidential sibling Basil Rajapaksa was engaged in election campaign. The alleged SL military operatives who spotted Ananthi’s vehicle followed her from Chunnaakam.

Ananthi Sasistharan, a mother of three, represents war widows and the families of missing persons. She personally witnessed Sri Lankan military taking away her husband, Mr Elilan, a political leader of the LTTE, at the end the Vanni War in May 2009.

In the meantime, SL presidential sibling Basil Rajapaksa who has been in Jaffna for the past 4 days was telling the public not to raise the issues of missing persons and the continuous occupation of High Security Zone (HSZ) during the elections.

Also, the former SL military commander, Sarath Fonseka, competing against the UPFA said no hardcore LTTE members had been handed over or surrendered to the SL military during the final hours. There were no key commanders or important members of the LTTE among those who were detained by the SL military under his command and that all those who were in detention were accounted for, he said, indirectly hinting the journalists not to expect any important LTTE members alive in SL custody.

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