Paramilitary operative employed at Cooray's secretariat in Jaffna harasses public servants

A former EPRLF paramilitary operative turned ‘sanitary worker’ at the secretariat of SL Governor to North, 30-year-old Sivarasa Sivakulan alias Murali, has been harassing Tamil public servants who have been sympathetic to the kith and kin of the struggling political prisoners, Tamil journalists and activists who have been supporting the elected Chief Minister of the NPC. The SL operative has handed over details of Tamil public servants, who took part in the black flag protest and demanded the SL Presidential Security Division (PSD) to punish them through SL Presidential Secretariat instructions to relevant ministries. The harassment has already begun with instruction of transfers being sent to North, informed sources in Colombo said. A Ministerial Security Division (MSD) officer in charge of SL Governor's security is also involved in the latest operation, the sources further said.

A public servant should not be subjected to harassment for his or her participation in democratic protests after working hours. But, such rights are only in paper as far as the public servants are concerned in the occupied homeland of Eezham Tamils.

Sivakulan [right] with SL Governor Reginald Cooray

Murali, believed to be a SL military intelligence operative, is a close confidante of Reginald Cooray, the colonial governor to North.

He was also connected to the controversial discovery of explosives at Ma'ravan-pulavu, Thenmaraadchi, last year. Although, he was detained for interrogation for several days in Colombo in connection with the episode, SL military intelligence and Mr Cooray, managed to secure his release and re-instated his employment at the secretariat, the sources further said.

Although officially employed as a ‘sanitary worker’, Murali is the most relied operative by the SL Governor and he is assigned the task of handling the contacts with Tamil journalists and accompanies SL Governor whenever he addresses foreign diplomats visiting Jaffna. He works also closely with Cooray's Personal Secretary J.M. Somasiri, who is a Sinhalese.

Highly placed sources in Colombo told TamilNet on Tuesday that the SL Presidential Secretariat officials were acting on his information to punish the Tamil public servants, especially those who attended the black-flag protest against the SL President last Saturday, with transfer orders.

Murali has also been instrumental in handling contacts with certain Tamil politicians to whom the SL Governor had promised negotiations with SL President on the matter of the Tamil political prisoners who are on a fast-unto-death.

On Saturday, Murali was accompanying Mr Somasiri in latter's vehicle and joined the team of visiting SL President at Jaffa Hindu College.

Sivarasa Sivakulan with SL Military Officer Sampath

Trained by SL military intelligence, the paramilitary operative was identified by Maj Gen G.A. Chandrasiri (SL commander of Jaffna between 2005 and 2009) as a trusted collaborator of the occupying SL military in Jaffna.

Later, when Chandrasiri became SL Governor to North, his successor, Maj Gen Hathurusinghe operated him directly from Palaali military base. Murali emerged as a close confidante of Hathurusinghe and SL President Mahinda Rajapaksa's camp of the SLFP.

Hathurusinghe introduced Murali to Reginald Cooray when the latter toured Jaffna as SLFP campaigner on behalf of the former SL President.

Murali's father and mother, both of whom had worked closely with Pathmanabha, Varathara Perumal and Subathiran of the EPRLF, handed him over to the paramilitary group at a young age. Murali began his paramilitary career at the press of Ka'n'noaddam, the propaganda magazine of EPRLF Pathmanaba wing operating from Colombo.

During the presidency of Chandrika Kumaratunga many of the EPRLF members were on the payroll of SL Government. The payroll was directly managed by the SL military intelligence.