Death threats to Prof. S. R. H. Hoole:

Minister Devananda appeals to International community

COLOMBO: Minister of Social Services and Social Welfare and Secretary-General of EPDP, Douglas Devananda, MP, has appealed to the Co-chair and the Diplomatic Community about the seriousness of the death threat issued on Prof. S. R. H. Hoole, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Jaffna and to the Council Members who voted in favour of his election, by the LTTE and its frontal organisations.

He has called on the International Community to take strong measures to ensure the removal of terror as a weapon by the LTTE and its frontal organisations to undermine the lawful appointment to the post of Vice Chancellor and to save the voices of democracy in the North and East.

The full text of Minister Douglas Devananda's appeal is as follows:

"I wish to bring to Your Excellency's kind notice the seriousness of death threat issued on Prof. S. R. H. Hoole, the Vice Chancellor of University of Jaffna and to the Council Members who voted in favour of his election, by the LTTE and its frontal organisations.

The University of Jaffna is considered by the Tamil community as a National University and the seat of high Tamil culture and learning. However, it has fallen much below its once exalted standards up to 1980 and it pains every heart to see the University not rising to its full potential. It was therefore with great expectations that the Tamil community awaited the appointment of Vice Chancellor.

Prof. S. R. H. Hoole was elected by the University Council as one of three names to be forwarded to His Excellency the President. His Excellency, considering the high academic career of Prof. Hoole out of the three elected, duly appointed him as the Vice Chancellor effective 12th March, 2006.

Prof. Hoole is a respected academic with wide international experience (including 13 years as first Associate Professor of Engineering and then Professor at Harvey Mudd College of the Claremont Colleges in California). Most importantly, he is the only academic in service in Sri Lanka with a higher doctorate (from London) in addition to his doctorate (from Carnegie Mellon University).

The Tamil community therefore very much looked forward to welcoming Prof. Hoole as Vice Chancellor University of Jaffna. However, unruly forces - clearly with the support and encouragement of the LTTE - have used intimidation, both open and anonymous, to prevent Prof. Hoole from going to Jaffna and assuming duties and have even issued him with death threat.

As he has stated in several interviews with the media, he has been threatened with assault by Vijayarooban, the student union leader, if he dares to come on to campus. The threat was openly stated during a television interview by Vijayarooban.

A group calling itself the People's Uprising Force, another LTTE front organisation, has threatened violence on Prof. Hoole, as has a student group calling itself the Great Student Congress (Maanavar Peravai).

The latter reportedly asked him if he wished what happened to Rajini Thiranagama (a woman human rights worker and Jaffna University Senior Lecturer in Anatomy who was shot dead by the LTTE) to happen to him.

The Bishops - CSI Jaffna Rt. Rev. S. Jabanesan, RC Jaffna Rt. Rev. Thomas Sunderanayagam and RC Manner Rt. Rev. Rayappu Joseph - have independently written around 20th March, 2006 to V. Pirapaharan asking for an appointment for Prof. Hoole to meet the LTTE with themselves or their emissaries and to facilitate Prof. Hoole's working in Jaffna. The Bishop of Mannar has explicitly stated that what is going on is shameful for the Tamil Community.

A poster has appeared in Jaffna with the pictures of the 24 (out of 25) Council Members who attended the council meeting where Prof. Hoole was elected. It identifies 5 as having voted for Prof. Hoole and has skulls in place of their faces. It ominously warns that they would identify the others who voted for him and punish them.

Instructions have gone to senior academic and non-academic staff of the University that they should not carry out any orders or instructions from

Prof. Hoole. Clearly never for the foreseeable future can a Vice Chancellor be freely elected by the Council, should Prof. Hoole succumb to this pressure and resign.

I respectfully submit that this widespread employment of terror by the LTTE to ensure that Prof. Hoole cannot work as Vice Chancellor of University of Jaffna is a clear violation of the Ceasefire Agreement.

Strong measures are therefor required from the International Community to ensure the removal of terror as a weapon by the LTTE and its frontal organisations to undermine the lawful appointment to the post of Vice Chancellor and to save the voices of democracy in the North and East."