Diaspora reduced to making threats to civil servants

Chamikara WEERASINGHE

Diaspora has been reduced to making threats over the Internet to Tamil government servants in Jaffna after their failed attempts to manoeuvre the United Nations and the international community against the government at various forums.

Jaffna GA Emelda Sukumar

State intelligence sources yesterday said Jaffna Government Agent Emelda Sukumar has become their latest victims since her participation in the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) hearings. She had been critical of the activities of the LTTE and the Tamil diaspora at the hearings. This daily contacted Jaffna Government Agent(GA) Emelda Sukumar to ask about this.

Jaffna GA said she has been asked to withdraw from serving the government and President Mahinda Rajapaksa by unknown callers.

"But I did not respond to these calls," she said.

She has also received threats from the Diaspora through her e-mail account.

Asked if she had any idea about these threats, Sukumar said most of these these threats are broadcast by Diaspora websites which have political affiliations with the TNA. "Anyway I hardly get the time to surf on the net to read this material for I have enough work in the district with many construction projects to be conducted." she said.

"I also feel that some political parties are making these threats with an agenda to disrupt development activities," she explained.

"They are jealous because I am a woman and they think I am standing in the way of their politics," she added. "The number of threats have increased following my participation in the international seminar on 'Defeating Terrorism-Sri Lanka Experience', which was held at Galadari Hotel, Colombo, she said.

Sukumar said she was an invitee to the seminar where she made a presentation on the development activities that take place in the Northeast. Asked if she had done anything about the threats, Sukumar said she has informed Jaffna Police and Jaffna Security Forces Commander Major General Mahinda Hathurusinghe about it.