THIRUKETHEESWARAM TEMPLE ACCESS UNDER MILITARY CONTROL

Gaja Lakshmi Paramasivam

His Excellency Mahinda Rajapakse,
President of Sri Lanka
Presidential Secretariat
Colombo - Sri Lanka

05 September 2006

Your Excellency,

I write to you seeking to clear the path for devotees of Thiruketheeswaram temple in Mannar to be cleared of Military personnel. After trying very hard to share my wisdom in Public Administration with both sides to the ethnic war in Sri Lanka, I have decided to invest my energies more through private enterprises rather than through government / rebel administered projects. Both sides to this war at the military level seem to be hell bent on ‘winning’ so they could dominate rather than succeeding so we would all feel Equal until proven otherwise through merit basis using Current work.

I read in today’s reports – the following headlines in Lankanewspapers.com ‘Rebel-held Sampur falls to Sri Lanka military’. I am very concerned that the places of worship in the East, including Thirukoneswaram temple in Trincomalee, would be harassed the way Thiruketheeswaram temple which is in Government controlled area is. The people of Sri Lanka are divided not only on language basis but also on the basis of religion. Language is more easily detectable than religion – especially when it comes to Muslims and Christians. When a government fails its people, people turn to God. To the extent Hindus turn to God more than Buddhists do, the answers that flow would benefit Tamils more than Sinhalese – because God is far more powerful than the Sri Lankan government driven by majority opinion.

There is value in majority power. But every leader in charge of the Nation that seeks to be a part of International Community, has the responsibility to ensure that in Public Administration intellectual power is recognized at a higher level than majority power. If you do not seek to be a part of the International Community, then it is alright to be driven by majority power. But then, you have the responsibility to reject aid from the International Community. The Intellectually driven settle Sri Lanka’s debt at the International level. Majority in this group are Tamils. The more you pamper your own the more they would seek to be driven by majority opinion.

The enclosed documents which include my complaint against Dr. Sumanathissa funded by your government reveal my discoveries about Australian systems. If I did not care about Australia’s safety more than I care about the goodwill from Australians in power, I would have continued to work to earn money and status here in Australia and there in Sri Lanka. But I choose to openly share my Truth because I care also about those who hurt me. I would like to see leaders of Sri Lanka do likewise. Otherwise the full credit for my work would go to my Hindu culture.

I met with your predecessor over Tsunami reconstruction work. I believe that this was possible because of our Common Spiritual Guru, Sri Sathya Sai Baba who is highly respected all over the world, led by Indians.

One of the reasons why I was listed as a mentally ill person by the Australian system is my belief in Sri Sathya Sai Baba and in Gandhi. There is documentary evidence confirming this. I believe that had Dr. Sumanathissa been a devotee of Sri Sathya Sai Baba or if I had spoken in Sinhalese during the medical sessions, the outcomes would have been in my favour. A quick check of Lankanewspapers.com would reveal that many Sinhalese participants have blindly accepted Dr. Sumanathissa’s verdict and are using that to put me down so they can win in the forum. THAT is more important to them than respecting my work as a Sri Lankan-Australian practicing World standards in Democracy.

As you would be aware, kidnappings of Tamils is now a regular problem in Sri Lanka. I am concerned about Sri – the Colombo businessman who sponsored the Aadi Vel festival and also donated generously to the Sydney Murugan Temple here in Australia. The disappearance of Father Jim Brown is also of concern to Tamils. We are praying for their safety. If they are indeed not affiliated to any political party, then the karma from any pain they suffer falls on your head personally. It is then a law and order problem.

Through participation in Lankanewspapers.com, I have learnt that Sinhalese consider every Tamil who does not condemn the Tigers to be a Tiger. They are not able to recognize a Public Administrator or a religious affiliation. They see only military and political affiliations. Sinhalese readers use this forum funded by the Government to humiliate Tamils any way they can. There are a handful who are decent – some of them Sri Lankans; most of them Sinhalese with Spiritual consciousness. This is also the make up of Sri Lanka. We should stop fooling the world into thinking that there can be racial harmony without division.

It is obvious to me that the Sri Lankan government and its supporters have a long way to go before qualifying to play the International game of Public Administration and Politics. Until you invest in recruiting Tamils for leading positions and / or facilitate Separate States on the basis of language, this would continue. You may win the war at the army’s level. But the problem would convert itself into other forms of abuse including International Terrorism through the countries that come with ‘free-looking-money’. The Sri Lankan government must hold itself accountable for every dollar received from ‘outsiders’. Otherwise your statement to India that you do not need ‘outsiders’ (Pakistanis) to capture Sampur would be proven false.

When you are independent as an individual, you will lead the country to independence and self-governance. Then you would appreciate the feelings of Tamils who seek to be independent Sri Lankans. Only such a citizen owns Sri Lanka on individual basis. All others need collective / majority vote which Tamils, Muslims and Burghers are not likely to have in Sri Lanka, at the National level, except as a coalition.

A good example of the value of ownership was revealed through my work for the Jaffna University over your appointment of Professor Hoole as the Vice Chancellor. I wrote to you but you did not respond. But the students and other young Tamils who appreciated my feelings and my work to help them, published my work. THIS is why we need a separate State for Tamils. Otherwise Sri Lanka and the World would miss out on the work of Sri Lankan Tamils.

Our work through Hindu temples such as Thiruketheeswaram and Thirukoneswaram would spread itself to the International level. Such is the power of those temples which have earned a place in Hindu history. A tiny investment through such temples would raise itself to the International level faster than any heavy political work that your government might do. Likewise, if you upset the devotees of the temple and block their paths, the karma would befall your government and personally on those who made the decision to block that path.

Yours sincerely,

Gaja Lakshmi Paramasivam