Voting in Douglas Devananda’s areas (Kayts, Delft) looks rigged. Hoole called him on it. Sunday Times graphic

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Professor Ratnajeevan Hoole once had to flee Sri Lanka because he spoke out against the LTTE. Now he’s left again, this time because he spoke out against Douglas Devananda and the EPDP. What does that tell you about the EPDP, and the government’s support for them?

“Yes, I left through Colombo airport for London before I am arrested. I will work in the U.S. till lawyers can sort this out for me,” he told The Hindu via e-mail, when asked if he had fled Sri Lanka. “I will return because Sri Lanka [Jaffna in particular] is my home.”

Prof. Hoole, one of the few Tamils who was vocal in his criticism of the Tamil Tigers when the outfit ruled the Northern Province, had had to flee Sri Lanka then. This time he had to leave, he said, because of his differences with the lone Tamil Minister in Sri Lankan Cabinet, Douglas Devananda. Mr. Devananda had filed a defamation case against Prof. Hoole in the Kayts court over articles that the academician had written in the media, which were highly critical of Mr. Devananda’s role in the North, and the ruling UPFA in general. (The Hindu)

Since he’s gone, here are links to some of the things Professor Hoole has written. He seems like a balanced and upright guy:

Jeevan Hoole, Douglas Devananda And The Police

Minister Devananda has described me as his friend of many years…

Yet today in a civil matter he has involved the police as if this is a criminal matter. His purpose, it seems to me, is to scare all those who oppose him in politics. His message is this – “If you speak against me, the police will come after you!”

…
Such is Kayts, the Kingdom of Devananda who, one of his admirers said recently, is our first Tamil king after King Changili. As a caution, it must be remembered that Changili is best remembered for Martyring 600 Christians in Mannar (The Sunday Leader)

Do Not Take The Tamils To Be Fools

It is obvious why the government which does not understand us Tamils was routed. The South talks of our ingratitude. But we are not LTTE lovers. We simply do not like corrupt, oppressive governments. Some of us did not oppose corrupt Tamil totalitarianism then, only to support corrupt Sinhalese totalitarianism now, even if fronted by a Tamil. We want the government to be responsive to our needs and feelings before it asks for our vote. We are not toilet paper to be used and thrown away.

Our institutions are to be built up, not used for politics. Does the President who ruins our best institutions through key appointments, really care for us? We are people with feelings, feelings reflected in our vote. He must work with us, the people and our representatives, not Devananda who brings him only ruin. (The Sunday Leader)

Pitfalls in the President’s Alliance with the EPDP–A Visit to Kayts on Elections Day

After a long discussion Weerasinghe called up his SP, Priyantha Weerasooriya, who was quite aggressive and asked me what authority I had to speak about the posters. I politely asked him, “I am a citizen. I see the laws of my country being violated. You are a policeman whose job is to uphold the law. What authority do I need to report this to you?” With that he became much more polite and the posters were
removed by the police. With EPDP cadres aggressively looking on, we left by a detour, very mindful of our safety.

We met others, especially officials of the Centre for Free and Fair Elections (CAFFE) who told us a lot of what is going on there. Many new vehicles had arrived, some without number plates. A policeman without his number on his uniform had chased off Mr. Kulasekaram of CAFFE from another polling station, etc. At the Siriya Pushpam (Little Flower) school in Karamban, polling cards were being purchased from voters by the EPDP. This came to light when a woman screamed at them that she would vote for herself.

The president may “win” on the islands. But he would lose with us, the Tamil people. In the long term if he dealt with our truly elected leaders instead of criminals, and continued his development plans regardless of whom we choose as our leaders, his popularity among Tamils will only be on the upswing. His advisors must impress this upon him or we will have another insurrection on our hands.via Transcurrents

and, for perspective, he has also called for President Mahinda Rajapaksa to be allowed to speak at the Oxford Union as scheduled, despite protests from some Tamils in the UK. All of his articles are worth a read, especially now.

Professor Hoole seems to be brave in all directions, and for that he seems to be cast to the wind.

It’s not fair. The government should be supporting people like Hoole and booting people like Devananda. I think Devananda is still wanted in India, for murder.

Hoole seems cool. I hope he can soon return.

Posted on Friday, August 12th, 2011 in Human Rights, Law, Sri Lanka, Sunday Leader, tamils.