Minister wants to raid the bank accounts of the Tamils

EXCLUSIVE

By Verity Mores Chinniaya

(October 04, Colombo/Jaffna, Sri Lanka Guardian) The non-cabinet minister Douglas Devananda has stated for the second time in the recent past that the government must grab the dormant bank accounts of many Tamils in the north and channel the funds for development work.

The Minister backed by unscrupulous and questionable terror/ political life, appears to extend his notorious agenda of siphoning off money for his own glory and with the defeat of the LTTE. He appears to extend his authority to take control of the regime left behind by the LTTE.

Despite the defeat of the LTTE, the Minister Devanda’s paramilitary group is not disbanded. He claims, he belongs to the Eelam Peoples Democratic Party and the democratic record of this party has shown dictatorial and terror credentials and it was able to thrive with the support of the defence establishment and expected to extend his authority with all the support from the government.

The Minister is bestowed with large amounts of funding by the government and in addition he has developed clandestine businesses and certain sectors are absolutely monopolised by him. His trading activities according to confidential sources, does not come under the ambit of the Inland Revenue scrutiny.

Douglas Devanda thrived in shipping essential items to Jaffna when LTTE was operating in the north. He is said to have undercut his competitors with the backing of the Defence establishment and immediate rival in the business, the former UNP Minister Mahesan was slain few years ago resulting in Doulas Devananda taking absolute control of the shipping trade to the north.

He is said to be involved in multitudes of businesses in addition to shipping. These include import business and controlling the cement trade. He is implicated in the scandal involving release of IDP’s from camps and said to have taken large sums for their release as reward.

In the recent release of IDP’s, preference was given to those who are from the islets off Jaffna. This is the area he exerts absolute control in the north for many years.

With the changing social, political and economic circumstances, the Minister has to change his modes of operation and is said to be engineering a campaign to take charge of dormant funds of the Tamils who had left the country or moved away from the north. He is engineering a campaign without following the due process and at the heat of the moment when the war with the LTTE has come to an end.

The government too is empowering the paramilitary persons like Douglas and Karuna than the Tamil people as a whole, as it feels further subjugation is needed using these paramilitary groups to take absolute control of the minorities in the country.

-Sri Lanka Guardian