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Lankan receives Fellowship from East London University

by Victor Jayanetti, our London Correspondent

Newham Councillor, Sri Lankan-born, Paul Sathianesan has been awarded the Honourary Fellowship of the University of East London. He received his degree from the University Chancellor Lord Ix at a recent presentation at the Barbican.

Paul Sathianesan, Councillor for Wall End and lead member for Heritage and Tourism in Newham, was honoured for his tireless work with refugees both on the world stage and in East London. Paul settled in East Ham after arriving from Sri Lanka in July 1985, and began voluntary work for the Tamil Refugee Action group and the Refugee Council, while working seven nights a week at a petrol station to make ends meet. He is active within the World Council of Churches and the United Nations, and founded the Council of European Tamils.

In his speech to the packed audience of graduates and their families, Sathianesan said: "It is a privilege and an honour to receive this award, but deep down, I don't know whether I really deserve it. As a refugee, and someone who works with refugees, I know that life can be a long hard struggle.

"I would like to accept this fellowship on behalf of the refugees and the Tamil community who have given me an opportunity to serve them, and on behalf of the dedicated volunteers and workers who have contributed so much, and have given me strength, courage, time, advice, motivation and love. I dedicate this award to the UNHCR, the Refugee Council, and all agencies working on behalf of refugees and the Tamil community around the world."

Paul Duraisamy Sathianesan was born in Urumpirai, Sri Lanka in 1960. He was educated at St. John's College in Jaffna and after leaving school, managed a publishing firm, but the outbreak of civil war forced him to flee the Country at the age of 25.

He began working full-time for the Refugee Council as a consultant on international refugee law and policy. In this role, and through his active membership of the World Council of Churches, Paul has represented the UK at conferences and within the UNHCR. As founder of the Council of European Tamils, he has helped forge a new identity for a widely dispersed Tamil community.

In May 1998, Paul was elected to the Newham Council, the first refugee elected in an East London borough. As the lead member for Heritage and Tourism, he introduced Newham's first-ever Tourism Strategy, launched in 2001. He also serves as scrutiny commission member for Health and is active in the voluntary sector within Newham, chairing the Newham Refugee Centre, Black and Ethnic Minority Carers' Forum and the Tamil Chamber of Commerce. In January this year, he launched the first International Tamil Festival in Newham and in May, was re-elected with the borough's largest majority.

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Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
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