Two arrested in 14 year old Missionary Graham staines and his children in Orissa

Odisha, May 17, 2013: Nearly 14 years after Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons were burnt to death by a mob in Odisha, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday arrested two absconding accused in the case.A CBI team arrested Ghanashyam Mohant, 35, and Ranjan Mohant, 38, from their villages Gayalmunda and Bhalughera in Keonjhar district, a senior district police official, who assisted in the arrest Staines and his two sons Philip, 10, and Timothy, 6, were burnt to death Jan 22, 1999, while they were sleeping in their station wagon in front of a church at Manoharpur village in Keonjhar, about 400 km from here.

The incident triggered a global outrage. While the main accused Dara Singh and his accomplice Mahendra Hembram were sentenced to life imprisonment, 11 others were acquitted by a court.

At least three accused in the case went absconding. While the CBI has arrested two of them, the third is still untraced

- times of india

BJP’s protest, ex-SC judge Joseph for National Human Rights commission(NHRC)

New Delhi, May 17, 2013: In what could give rise to a fresh controversy, the government Thursday pushed the candidature of former Supreme Court judge Cyriac Joseph for the post of Member, National Human Rights Commission, ignoring the BJP’s concerns over his “integrity and competence”.

The post is reserved for a former SC judge and is vacant since Justice G P Mathur completed his term in January.

It is learnt that at Thursday’s meeting of the selection committee, chaired by PM Manmohan Singh, Leaders of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, respectively, Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley gave written reasons for opposing Joseph’s name and walked out of the meeting. But the government is likely to use its majority on the panel, which also has Speaker Meira Kumar, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde and Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman P J Kurien, to clear his name.

Last month also, the government had ignored the BJP leaders’ opposition to the candidature of then NIA chief, S C Sinha, and appointed him Member, NHRC.

The Indian Express had first reported on April 8 that the government planned to use its majority in the selection panel to appoint Justice Joseph to the post despite an adverse report from the Intelligence Bureau. The report had scuttled his chance of being made chairperson of the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal.

In his dissent note, Jaitley said of the three ex-judges proposed for the post — Joseph, B Sudershan Reddy and V S Sirpurkar — Joseph was “completely unsuitable”.

“He has been, even during his tenure as a judge, perceived to be close to certain political and religious organisations. His close proximity to religious organisations is evident from the fact that media reports have indicated that when certain nuns were sexually assaulted, as a sitting judge of SC he visited the institutions where narco analysis of the accused was being carried out in Karnataka… He was quoted in the media as having stated that for him his religious affinity was more important that his commitment as a judge,” Jaitley’s note said.

Jaitley also cited Joseph’s poor track-record as a judge. “He was known for not writing judgments. As against a few hundred judgments authored by every judge of the SC, during his tenure Justice Cyric Joseph is believed to have written only six judgments,” the note said.

Since there were other “eminent retired judges” eligible for the post, including Justices Reddy and Sirpurkar, Jaitley said he was “unable to persuade myself to concur to the appointment” of Joseph.

In her note, Swaraj wrote, “Integrity and competence are essential for a public office. The proposed name lacks both. Therefore, I disagree.”

- indian express

Christian representation Needed. No end to communal attacks yet?

Archbishop Moras welcomes Karnataka CM

Congress came to power defeating the right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party in the May 5 polls.

Karnataka, May 16, 2013: Archbishop Bernard Moras of Bangalore on Tuesday visited the newly elected chief minister Siddaramaiah of Karnataka and sought reservation for Christian in his cabinet.

The prelate also wanted the government reserve positions for Christians when appointing chairpersons to Boards and Corporations, reported daijiworld.com.

The archbishop who is also the President of Karnataka Region Council of Catholic Bishops (KRCBC), extended greetings to the new Congress chief minister on behalf of all Christians and the Bishops of Karnataka.

Congress came to power defeating the right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP- Indian people’s party) in the May 5 polls. Congress won 121 seats in the 223-member state assembly and BJP could muster only 40.

Leaders of Christians and Muslims say during the BJP rule the government tacitly supported violence against religious minorities.

- daijiworld

No end to communal incidents in Coastal Karnataka

Karnataka, May 14, 2013: A series of ‘minor’ communal incidents in the coastal districts of Karnataka – both during and after the assembly elections – have raised several questions over the worsening inter-community relations among concerned citizens of the undivided South Canara district.

• 20 March 2013: The Election Commission officially declares the polling dates for the assembly elections in Karnataka.

• 20 March 2013: A group of miscreants allegedly belonging to Sangh Parivar outfit pelts stones at the house of a person belonging to minority community at Padu Thonse Bengre in coastal district of Udupi, for possessing cattle. According to attackers the cattle was meant for illegal cattle trafficking. The restrain practiced by members of minority community and timely intervention by the Police defuses communal tension.
  
• 2 April 2013: A group of miscreants pelts stones at a Prayer House of minority community in Kallianpur of same Udupi district. Again, the minorities’ tolerance and Police intervention thwart further worsening of situation.

• 21 April 2013: A tense atmosphere prevails in Ullal town and surrounding areas of Mangalore after a minor accident led to communal clash and vandalism.

• 5 May 2013: An uptight atmosphere prevails at Uchila village in coastal district of Udupi after some miscreants throw a beer bottle inside a Prayer House of minorities. The timely intervention by the Police controls the situation.

• 8 May 2013: The assembly election results are out. Congress party wins the elections with comfortable majority.

• 9 May 2013: Miscreants place a severed feet of a cow on a ‘Tulasi Katta’ {The Basil Plant (popularly known as Tulasi) is planted in a pedestal (katta) before every Hindu home and worshiped every morning and evening} of a Hindu’s house near Someshwar-Uchil on the outskirts of Mangalore city. Intervention of local MLA neutralizes the tension.

• 10 May 2013: Miscreants pelt stones at a Prayer House of minority community at Kaup -Polipu in Udupi district in the wee hours, damaging the glass panes and walls of the building. Restrain by the Community and intervention of the Police and local MLA circumvent the untoward consequences.

• 10 May 2013: Miscreants dump severed hooves of a cow inside the compound of a Temple, close to the place where a similar incident had occurred on 9 May, near Someshwar-Uchil on the outskirts of the coastal city Mangalore.

• 10 May 2013: Four youths belonging to minority community were assaulted during the victory procession of BJP candidate of Karkala. It is said that the youth were standing on the roadside and were attacked after they refused to smear (tilak) vermillion on their forehead.

Routine incidents, but citizens apprehensive:

The occurrence of these incidents – that could perturb the already sensitive atmosphere of Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts – after the outcome of 2013 state assembly elections, have left people apprehensive.

For Suresh Bhat Baakrabail, an ardent campaigner for communal harmony, such incidents are not new to this region. “As per my records, incidents of moral policing by right wing activists declined during the election; maybe they were busy in canvassing for their candidates,” said Bhat.

“But, this kind of incidents will continue as usual; there are very chances that it will increase under the rule of non-BJP governments, as we could see it in past,” he said.

Indeed, there were more riots under the rule of Congress, as alleged by the BJP men. The question why is that so? And who are behind it, he asked. “The Sangh Parivar, the driving force behind such attempts, has been doing it since decades.”

It doesn’t mean that untoward incidents did not happen under BJP rule; it happened, but in other way, he said referring incidents of pub-attacks, home-stay attack and moral policing.

Referring the series of incidents post election-results, he said that it could be a strategy to further polarize the society keeping in mind the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Thinker-writer G Rajashekhar opines that it is too early to judge something out of these incidents. These are part of routine incidents in these districts, he said.

There are two possibilities- it may increase and may not increase in future. If the BJP has really learnt a right lesson out of last elections, it will not revere the idea of communal agenda further, he said.

The question is, would the foot-soldiers give-up the established trend and keep quiet even if the BJP leaders do not endorse it, he added.

The day-to-day untoward incidents, pub attack, home-stay attack and etc have left the deep impression in the minds of concerned people of the districts, he said.

Saying that a section of media and administration always supported Sangh’s ideology in all possible means, he said, “I also hope that the last assembly election will drive them to change their mindset.”

Poor performance by BJP (a.k.a.) Sangh:

Political thinkers term the defeat of the BJP in last assembly election as the defeat of Sangh’s ideology. There is no distinction between the Sangh and the BJP in this region, says Rajashekhar.

The voters of the region, which is known as Hindutva bastion post Babri Masjid demolition, have deserted the BJP in last assembly elections. Out of 13 constituencies of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts, only one candidate has won the elections in each district.

While the BJP has lost almost 2 percentage points of its share of polled votes in last elections compared to 2008 in Dakshina Kannada, the party has witnessed depletion of vote share by over 16 percentage points in Udupi district.

Rajshekhar, who also analyzed the election results of the Udupi assembly constituency, says that BJP has lost in 199 of 204 booths. “The middle class, lower middle class and women of Hindu community have lost the trust on BJP and have discarded the communal ideology.”

- newzfirst

India’s Jeddah consulate seeks volunteers

Dubai, May 17, 2013: The Indian consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, has appealed to members of the Indian community to volunteer for its campaign to help those Indian expatriate workers who have been affected by the new labour policy in that country.

“It is a unique opportunity for those Indian nationals who have been affected by the Nitaqat programme to benefit from the current correctional campaign of the government,” the Arab News quoted a consulate statement as saying.

“It is also an opportunity for those Indian volunteers and philanthropists who are driven by a sense of community service to help their brethren to correct their residency status as per relevant laws and regulations.”

Indian workers have been thronging the consulate and the Indian embassy in Riyadh ever since Saudi Arabia implemented the new Nitaqat or Saudiasation policy to take advantage of a grace period the Saudi authorities announced that ends July 3.

The new policy makes it mandatory for all Saudi companies to reserve 10 percent of jobs for Saudi nationals.

Earlier, responding to another appeal from the embassy in Riyadh, around 400 members of the Indian community had registered to work as volunteers.

There are around two million expatriate Indians in that Gulf nation, many of them blue collar workers.

- ians

Christian teacher accused of insulting Islam detained in Egypt

 

Egypt, May 14, 2013: A 24-year-old Christian teacher in Egypt detained over allegations that she defamed Islam during a school lesson has gone on hunger strike.

Demiana Ebeid Abdelnour, who teaches social science in Luxor, was arrested on 8 May after the parents of three children accused her of insulting Islam and Muhammad.

She was initially ordered to be held for four days, but this period was extended on Saturday (11 May) to a further 15 days. Demiana started a hunger strike on 10 May; she has not been allowed to be transferred from prison to hospital.

Amnesty International has called for the Christian’s immediate release and for the criminal case against her to be dropped. Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Deputy Middle East and North Africa Programme Director, said:

It is outrageous that a teacher finds herself behind bars for teaching a class. If she made some professional mistake, or deviated from the school curriculum, an internal review should have sufficed.

The accusations against Demiana, who taught at three different schools, were made following a lesson she gave at one school on 8 April about religious life at the time of the pharaohs. Two days later, she was told that she could no longer teach at this particular school because she had been accused of defaming Islam.

Demiana was questioned by three committees, to which she denied the allegations and was absolved. But the local education department nevertheless suspended her pending further investigation.

The teacher’s union has upheld her innocence and said that it has assembled a team of lawyers to defend her.

Since the Egyptian revolution, a number of Christians have been jailed for defaming Islam.

Makram Diab, a school secretary, was given double the maximum sentence for Defamation of Religion following a dispute with a Muslim colleague in February 2012.

Gamal Abdou Massoud (17) was jailed in April 2012 for three years for posting cartoons deemed insulting to Islam on his Facebook page. This followed a similar case in November 2011 involving 23-year-old Christian, Ayman Youssef Mansour, who was also sentenced to three years in prison for comments he wrote on his Facebook page that were considered derogatory to Islam.

Amnesty’s Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui said:

Any laws barring such speech violate freedom of expression, and are in breach of Egypt’s international obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

- barnabas team

Testimonies from a war zone: Syrian Christians share their stories

First-hand accounts from Syrian Christians whom

Barnabas International Director, Patrick Sookhdeomet last week in Lebanon.

Syria, May 16, 2013: A tragedy of unbelievable proportions is unfolding in Syria. The Christians believe they are the meat in the sandwich, squeezed between the rebel forces with their extremist Islamist allies and the government forces. They are caught in the middle of a conflict not of their making. Increasingly the rebel forces are deliberately targeting them. When the al-Nusra Front takes an area, they systematically destroy all Christian symbols. The Christians are faced now with a disaster that is leading many of them to question whether the Church will survive in Syria. Many see this as Iraq Mark 2. Just as the Christians of Iraq were ethnically cleansed, with Western acquiescence, so today Western countries are supporting the Gulf States and Turkey who are facilitating the rebel fighters who want to introduce sharia and destroy Christianity.

I have just returned from Lebanon, where Barnabas Fund had brought together a range of Christians from different parts of Syria, each with their own heart-breaking story to tell about how the conflict there is affecting them and those for whom they care. Among the accounts I heard were: a woman who is too afraid to leave her home to go to work for fear of being raped; courageous and creative church leaders who are working tirelessly to help meet the needs of their splintered congregations; analyses from a journalist and a senior politician, in particular of the potential consequences for Christians.

I want to share with you some of the testimonies that paint a picture of what life is like for Syrian Christians trapped in this war zone. To protect their security, I have not included their names. The following story reveals the terrifying reality for Christian women, whom Islamist militants within the opposition believe they have the right to rape:

I am a working woman, I used to work in Damascus. My family lives in Qateena (a Christian village). Throughout the incidents, I used to commute between the two places. One month ago I was in a workshop here and received a phone call from a friend in Aleppo saying, ‘Please pray for us.’ I asked, ‘Why?’ Answer: ‘Because I want to commit suicide. Two of my friends were raped by armed groups and I do not want to be raped as they were.’

All of us at the workshop were shocked and fearful for women in Syria. To fear death is something. To fear rape is something else. I felt I had discovered something in my personality, fear of rape and humiliation, not fear of death.

She went on to explain that she had resigned from her good job in Damascus, where she had no family and feared that someone would break into her home and rape or kill her. Her relatives in Qateena asked why she had left her job and come back to live with them. She told them that if she has to die, she would like to be with her family; she did not want to die alone. She said that many women have left their jobs in the last two years because they do not dare to go outside their homes. She continued:
During these two years we have felt more repressed and marginalised… It is becoming worse and worse for women.
She said that in certain areas of Homs that are completely Sunni, she has been advised by friends, and sometimes officials, to cover up. Christian women are concerned that the freedoms they have enjoyed under the Assad regime will be stripped away if the Islamists among the rebels achieve their ultimate goal of establishing an Islamic state in Syria.

TRAUMATISED CHILDREN

The lives of Christian children in Syria are also being ravaged. Many are traumatised by the violence and destruction that surrounds them. They will need specialised counselling to help heal these psychological wounds, but this kind of intervention is barely possible while the fighting rages on and it is a struggle to merely survive.

In the meantime, churches are planning special activities for children, designed to help alleviate some of the stress that they are suffering.

Christian parents too are in a state of anguish. They tend to have small families with just one or two children and are very fearful that their precious little ones may be killed. Mothers are therefore stopping their children from going to school and church, keeping them at home where they feel they are safer.

POVERTY BITES

Christians are finding it increasingly difficult to provide for their families owing to displacement, unemployment and soaring prices. Those who were formerly well-off, such as lawyers, doctors and engineers are now requesting charitable aid.

A number of church leaders spoke of these difficulties. One from Aleppo described the plight of a group of Christians from a very poor area who had been forced to flee when all the houses and shops were looted and burned. They are staying in crowded conditions in school classrooms. He said:

The poorest have no income because most of the factories were destroyed, so the daily workers have no work… They live in misery. They only have aid given to them from NGOs and charities. A gas cylinder used to be US$5, now it is only available on the black market and costs US$25.

One daily meal for a family of four people, which is only bread and houmous, beans and tomatoes etc., now costs US$5 and they cannot afford it. So a family needs at least US$150 a month to get one meal a day and not cover any other expenses… We have so many beggars on the streets of Aleppo, especially children and teenagers. We fear they will be used for non-ethical purposes, exploited by others.”

The church leader went on to describe the deteriorating state of the city:

Most of the buildings in Aleppo have been destroyed. Many homes have become cemeteries, with their inhabitants buried within them by explosions. The old city of Aleppo is totally destroyed.

It is so difficult to communicate, no more cell phones, post office, internet, electricity. We don’t even have people to remove the rubbish, there is no diesel to power their machines. It stays for weeks and causes a lot of problems. Some volunteers remove and burn it, but it is not enough. Some of the Christian volunteers try to help clean the areas. There are so many diseases in Aleppo today because of heat and rubbish. It is very dangerous.

CHURCH DESTROYED AND DESECRATED

While some of the suffering that Christians in Syria are undergoing is the same as everyone else who is trapped in this nightmare, they are facing the added trauma of their community being systematically attacked by the opposition, who perceive them as supporters of the regime.

Churches and Christian symbols continue to be deliberately destroyed. Fighters have even desecrated one church by urinating inside it.

Their very lives are also under threat as mortar bombs and snipers target Christian areas in what effectively amounts to a campaign of ethnic cleansing. The violence is driving Christians out of places where they had lived peacefully for generations.

Almost all of the 60,000-strong Christian population of Homs has fled but 75 Christians, many of them elderly, are being held in the Hamadiya neighbourhood by the rebels as a human shield. Hardship and deprivation are killing them one by one.

Understandably a large number of Christian families – an estimated 25,000 – have fled the country, and many more are looking for an escape route. It is feared that the war could result in the eradication from Syria of the Christian presence, which dates back to the days of the early Church. As one of our partners, who is delivering aid from Barnabas Fund to needy Christian families, put it:

How can people go back and live again with people who have used their churches as a toilet? Will they really go back home again? History teaches us no… When you leave your home, someone else takes it and you cannot go back again.

LOVING ONE ANOTHER

In the midst of such desperation, however, I was heartened to hear about the inspirational efforts of the Christian community to care for each other in their hour of need. In Homs, a large group of young people is working hard, distributing aid, including food, blankets and heaters, from Barnabas Fund to around 1,400 families.

Also in Homs, a Christian care home for the elderly persisted in its ministry even when all other institutions in the city had stopped operating. I was told that this was because of the insistence of the 82-year-old female Christian worker who is in charge there.

Church leaders are coming up with creative ideas for income-generation projects to help more displaced Christian families become self-sufficient in their new homes as need increases and resources run thin. And outreach is continuing. One church held three baptismal services at the end of last month; half of those being baptised were converts from a Muslim background.

These are extremely dark days for Christians in Syria, and they have much to lament. But they are standing together in faith and love, fulfilling the words of Jesus in John 13:35: “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

- patrick sookhdeo

This is what we all should mean as Christians

When I say that ‘I am a Christian’, I am not shouting that ‘I am clean living. I’m whispering ‘I was lost, but now I’m found and forgiven.’

When I say ‘I am a Christian’ I don’t speak of this with pride. I’m confessing that I stumble and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say ‘I am a Christian’ I’m not trying to be strong. I’m professing that I’m weak and need His strength to carry on.

When I say ‘I am a Christian’ I’m not bragging of success. I’m admitting I have failed and need God to clean my mess.

When I say ‘I am a Christian’ I’m not claiming to be perfect. My flaws are far too visible, but God believes I am worth it.

When I say ‘I am a Christian’ I still feel the sting of pain. I have my share of heartaches, so I call upon His name.

When I say ‘I am a Christian’ I’m not holier than thou, I’m just a simple sinner who received God’s good grace, somehow!

Today is Beautiful Christian Person’s Day.
Pretty is as Pretty does but, Beautiful is just plain Beautiful..

Be Blessed, Be a Blessing.

- fwd: janet dsouza

Anti-Church article in BJP mag exposes split in Sangh Parivar

The article carried in the April issue had angered Christian community, and it sought action against editor Anil Soumitra.

Madhya Pradesh, May 14, 2013: The Bharatiya Janata Party in Madhya Pradesh has sacked the editor of its mouthpiece Charaiveti after an article appeared in its last month alleging sexual exploitation of nuns in Catholic Church.

The fallout has nothing to do with the controversial article, but it exposes the recrimination within the Sangh Parivar, reports the Indian Express.

The article carried in the April issue had angered Christian community, and it sought action against editor Anil Soumitra and the monthly, printed in the state BJP headquarters in Bhopal.

While the police did not register any case, the controversy has exposed differences between Soumitra, an RSS activist, and publication’s secretary Hitesh Bajpai, who is in-charge of BJP’s media cell.

Both accused each other of minting money in the publication’s name by taking government advertisements and by committing other financial irregularities. Both denied charges and blamed each other for mudslinging.

Soumitra was summarily sacked and the entire committee was replaced with new members except its president Sumitra Mahajan, a BJP Lok Sabha member from Indore, who has been the president for last three years.

“I have been treated like a criminal. I was selected as editor due to my RSS background and ideological commitment,” Soumitra said in a letter to Mahajan asking if he had been removed at the instance of Christian organizations or the Congress party.

The editor of 18 months has marked copies of his letter to top RSS functionaries and BJP leaders at national level, hinting at a larger power struggle within the party.

The sacked editor alleged that the publication committee did not meet even once in last three years, did not audit its records or filed income-tax returns, and wondered why Bajpai was only replaced, not penalized.

“Does the BJP reward those who commit irregularities and, don’t carry out their responsibilities?” Soumitra asked and added that two more articles about the Church in its December issue went unnoticed.

- indian express

With government officials turning hostile, Varun Gandhi acquitted in hate speech

Uttar Pradesh, May 14, 2013: Claiming to be saviour of Muslims, the Akhilesh Yadav led Samajwadi Party government at Uttar Pradesh showed leniency towards BJP’s leader and MP Varun Gandhi. The result he was acquitted by the court from the charges of hate speech.

The cases of hate speech were registered four years ago ( 2009) against Varun Gandhi. Surprisingly, the then District Magistrate (DM) who himself had lodged case against Varun Gandhi turned hostile in the case. Not only this, all the 14 witness turned hostile in the case. Surprisingly all the 14 witness were employees of the UP government.

On 7 March 2009, Varun Gandhi reportedly had delivered hate speech against Muslims in Dalchand locality of Pilibhit. The then DM of Pilibhit, Mahendra Aggrawal had himself lodged a case against Varun Gandhi. It was clearly mentioned in his report that Varun Gandhi is using language against Muslims. A case was registered under section 153A, 295A, 505(2) and 125 People representation Act. It was the government of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Mayawati was its Chief Minister. She acted promptly and Varun was not only arrested but even National Security Act slapped on him.But during these four years, the government at Lucknow changed and Akhilesh Yadav is now CM.

In this case, Mahendra Aggrawal was himself DM and complainant and the witnesses were Zameer Alam, the then ADM of Pilibhit and 13 other police personnels. All of them including DM, ADM and policemen turned hostile in the court. Zameer Alam who had prepared the report of Varun Gandhi’s speech stated in the court that he did not see or hear any of Varun Gandhi’s meetings. Two other important witnesses Inspector Maniram Rao and Rajveer Singh too turned hostile.

Still there was hope and state government could appeal in higher court within 60 days of the judgement. But it kept quiet there was no development in this regard. It also did not ask the officials who had turned hostile about their behaviour. No questions were asked at any level in the government as if there was mute consent to all the development.

As the news reached Muslim clerics, there were statements decrying such act by the Akhilesh Yadav government. Coming on backfoot, IG Crime Ashish Gupta clarified on Wednesday that CJM court had acquitted Varun Gandhi in two different cases on 27 February and 5 March.

State government still has time for filing an appeal. In the case which was decided on February 27, there is time till 25 May and in the 5 March case, there is time till 3 June. Legal opinion is being sought and appeal will be filed.

- tcn

Former Tamil Tiger leader goes from terrorism to educating war orphans

Known by the initials KP, Selvarasa Kumaran Pathmanathen opens a hostel for children victims of the civil war. “Education,” he says, “is the only way to help them overcome their trauma.” Released from prison last October, he is still wanted by Interpol.

Sri Lanka, May 14, 2013: “Children have to study, not take up arms,” said Selvarasa Kumaran Pathmanathen.  Known by the initials KP, the former head of the international section of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE or Tamil Tigers) was released in October 2012 for collaborating with the Government of Sri Lanka.

Although still on the Interpol’s wanted list, the former arms dealer opened a hostel for children civil war victims called the Senchcholai Children Care Home in Kilinochchi today (Northern Province), which is the home of 300 children, orphaned or disabled during the conflict.

For the former terrorist, “the only way to put such a trauma behind is to give them an education.”

“This is how I think today. The lack of a proper education fuelled the violence, and pushed us Tamil backward. This is a community that has lost all hope; restoring its sense of confidence is the biggest challenge of the moment.” For this reason, the hostel makes sure the children go to a nearby school.

Yet, KP is concerned about the military presence in the north of the country. “On the one hand,” he admits, “the presence of the military has increased the sense of security. On the other though, it is intimidating to people who still feel under [someone else's] control.”

- asianews

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