tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5264651636809122309.post3249273325458749060..comments2023-05-08T20:47:09.222+05:30Comments on Peradeniya Engineering Faculty Memories: TWO EPISODES - a short storyE-Fac Memorieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07875303094141882942noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5264651636809122309.post-16164685665275853412016-05-30T14:46:05.453+05:302016-05-30T14:46:05.453+05:30"After midnight, the residence hall superviso..."After midnight, the residence hall supervisor of Hilda Residence hall, Dr. Darmadasa, took charge of Balasooriyan, and since Balasooriyan claimed that he knew well Professor Sivasegaram, Dr. Darmadasa took him to the Tamil professor. With him went Professor Thillainathan and Dr. Kasinathar. All three talked to the Vice Chancellor, Professor Panditharatne, but the Vice Chancellor said he was going to hand Balasooriyan over to the police."<br />I think that some correction is needed in the text regarding impressions of my involvement. The original story I suspect is a part-fact part-fiction write up by the UTHR (Jaffna). I wrote a correction but that has escaped the eyes of many who have had access to the UTHR version, which I myself saw only a few years ago.<br />Balasooriyan named me as I was probably the only one whom he could think of at the time. I got the message from some students while watching the Tamil movie Oriravu at Keerthisena's. I went home, told my mother not to sit up for me and planned to walk across to HOH. But Kasy, living almost next door, kindly offered me a lift on his motorbike. Thillainathan was not involved in the matter at the time. Had he spoken to KNO (Dharmadasa), I am sure that KNO would have been just as kind as he was to me. Kasy was supportive and in touch with me all along but kept off while I negotiated with KNO and later Leslie.<br />KNO's intention was not to hurt Balasooriyan. Had KNO let him go at the time, there was a mob ready to attack Balasooriyan. He explained this to me, and when I asked whether I could talk to the VC (Leslie Panditharatne), he made the phone call and I spoke to Leslie. <br />Leslie asked me to his residence. (He lived three buildings away from mine at Meewatura. In fairness, he knew where I stood politically but treated me with respect and considerable trust, as I experienced earlier as Secretary of the EFTU, negotiating with him to expedite the inquiry re Vickramabahu's prolonged interdiction a few years earlier. I think that I persuaded him: the inquiry started shortly after and Vickramabahu was cleared. But sadly, against the advice of several of us Vickramabahu resigned his post in the E'Fac.)<br />Leslie was surrounded by a UNP group of advisers (?). I sat with him and explained to him that I doubted if Balasooriyan was a Tiger, although I cannot guarantee anything, and asked him not to hand him over to the police at that time of the night and without a university inquiry. He was prompt in his positive response to my request and agreed to my staying with Balasooriyan at the security post until the university inquiry started the next morning. I went home, told my mother that I will return the next morning and proceeded in the security vehicle in the company of Balasooriyan. At dawn, Kasy was kind to come to the security post to relieve me.<br />The inquiry was according to Kasy a sham; but even before it was over police had arrived from Kandy to take Balasooriyan away. Kasy was dejected but was still positive. I offered to talk to Thurai (Prof Thurairajah, Dean, Engineering) and asked Thurai to do what he could through his friend Dahanayaka (Fluids Lab) who had friends among police officers in Kandy. I think that Daha did the needful. <br />According to Balasooriyan, he was not assaulted inside the police station, but the policeman who accompanied him to the toilet had slapped him. Later he was taken to CID Colombo and was released a few days later. He was bitter.<br />I also remember how some Sinhalese students of the E’Fac acted with determination to protect Tamil students and Akbar-Nell was a sanctuary of sorts. (I remember in particular Darshi de Seram and Asanga Perera who had trouble some time after with the establishment.) <br />S Sivasegaramhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03189406504870524681noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5264651636809122309.post-90468727526263671182016-05-30T14:41:53.498+05:302016-05-30T14:41:53.498+05:30"After midnight, the residence hall superviso..."After midnight, the residence hall supervisor of Hilda Residence hall, Dr. Darmadasa, took charge of Balasooriyan, and since Balasooriyan claimed that he knew well Professor Sivasegaram, Dr. Darmadasa took him to the Tamil professor. With him went Professor Thillainathan and Dr. Kasinathar. All three talked to the Vice Chancellor, Professor Panditharatne, but the Vice Chancellor said he was going to hand Balasooriyan over to the police."<br />I think that some correction is needed in the text regarding impressions of my involvement. The original story I suspect is a part-fact part-fiction write up by the UTHR (Jaffna). I wrote a correction but that has escaped the eyes of many who have had access to the UTHR version, which I myself saw only a few years ago.<br />Balasooriyan named me as I was probably the only one whom he could think of at the time. I got the message from some students while watching the Tamil movie Oriravu at Keerthisena's. I went home, told my mother not to sit up for me and planned to walk across to HOH. But Kasy, living almost next door, kindly offered me a lift on his motorbike. Thillainathan was not involved in the matter at the time. Had he spoken to KNO (Dharmadasa), I am sure that KNO would have been just as kind as he was to me. Kasy was supportive and in touch with me all along but kept off while I negotiated with KNO and later Leslie.<br />KNO's intention was not to hurt Balasooriyan. Had KNO let him go at the time, there was a mob ready to attack Balasooriyan. He explained this to me, and when I asked whether I could talk to the VC (Leslie Panditharatne), he made the phone call and I spoke to Leslie. <br />Leslie asked me to his residence. (He lived three buildings away from mine at Meewatura. In fairness, he knew where I stood politically but treated me with respect and considerable trust, as I experienced earlier as Secretary of the EFTU, negotiating with him to expedite the inquiry re Vickramabahu's prolonged interdiction a few years earlier. I think that I persuaded him: the inquiry started shortly after and Vickramabahu was cleared. But sadly, against the advice of several of us Vickramabahu resigned his post in the E'Fac.)<br />Leslie was surrounded by a UNP group of advisers (?). I sat with him and explained to him that I doubted if Balasooriyan was a Tiger, although I cannot guarantee anything, and asked him not to hand him over to the police at that time of the night and without a university inquiry. He was prompt in his positive response to my request and agreed to my staying with Balasooriyan at the security post until the university inquiry started the next morning. I went home, told my mother that I will return the next morning and proceeded in the security vehicle in the company of Balasooriyan. At dawn, Kasy was kind to come to the security post to relieve me.<br />The inquiry was according to Kasy a sham; but even before it was over police had arrived from Kandy to take Balasooriyan away. Kasy was dejected but was still positive. I offered to talk to Thurai (Prof Thurairajah, Dean, Engineering) and asked Thurai to do what he could through his friend Dahanayaka (Fluids Lab) who had friends among police officers in Kandy. I think that Daha did the needful. <br />According to Balasooriyan, he was not assaulted inside the police station, but the policeman who accompanied him to the toilet had slapped him. Later he was taken to CID Colombo and was released a few days later. He was bitter.<br />I also remember how some Sinhalese students of the E’Fac acted with determination to protect Tamil students and Akbar-Nell was a sanctuary of sorts. (I remember in particular Darshi de Seram and Asanga Perera who had trouble some time after with the establishment.) <br />S Sivasegaramhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03189406504870524681noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5264651636809122309.post-81245657107269250762015-08-01T20:52:06.957+05:302015-08-01T20:52:06.957+05:30The July 1983 Riots that Created a Collective Trau...The July 1983 Riots that Created a Collective Trauma<br /><br />http://transyl2014.blogspot.ca/2015/07/the-july-1983-riots-that-created.html<br /><br />Violence against Tamil Students at the Peradeniya University in 1983 May<br />Nearly two months before the Black July Tamil students of the Peradeniya University were savagely assaulted by a group of Sinhalese students led by W.A.D.T. (Thulsie) Wickremasinghe and A. Ekanayake - 4th year science students from Arunachalam Hall and another group led by Dr. S. Gamage, a passed out dentist who was motivated by personal considerations. (Sri Lanka: The Arrogance of Power: Myths, Decadence and Murder - Rajan Hoole). The violence against the Tamil Students at the Peradeniya University could have had links with assaults and expulsion of the Sinhalese students from the Jaffna University by some radical Tamil students in early years. In 1976, the University Registrar Mr Wimal Sundara was beaten and chased out from the university by these radical groups. Although the university’s head, K Kailasapathy wanted to maintain the multiethnic character in the Jaffna University by 1978 most of the Sinhalese students of the Jaffna University were moved to other universities.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com