{"id":48469,"date":"2016-09-23T01:11:07","date_gmt":"2016-09-23T05:11:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=48469"},"modified":"2016-09-23T01:58:28","modified_gmt":"2016-09-23T05:58:28","slug":"assault-on-lankan-envoy-ansar-in-kl-airport-by-malaysian-we-tamils","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=48469","title":{"rendered":"Assault on Sri Lankan High Commissioner  Ansar in Kuala Lumpur Airport by Malaysian &#8220;We Tamils\/Naam Thamizhar&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"fb-like\" data-href=\"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/archives\/48469\" data-layout=\"button_count\" data-action=\"like\" data-show-faces=\"true\" data-share=\"true\"><\/div>\n<p><b>By<br \/>\nD.B.S.Jeyaraj<\/b><\/p>\n<p>An official Ambassador is defined as a diplomat of the highest rank accredited to a foreign Govt as the resident representative of his or her own country. The equivalent  designation to an Ambassador among  Commonwealth Nations is the High Commissioner. Since an  Ambassador  or High Commissioner is the premier representative of his or her country  any  honour bestowed upon him or her in the host country is a respect afforded to the  envoy\u2019s country. Likewise any insult or injury caused  to a High Commissioner or Ambassador is an affront to the envoy\u2019s own country. It is in this context that the recent assault on Sri Lanka\u2019s High Commissioner to Malaysia,   His Excellency Ibrahim Sahib Ansar at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport  by a gang belonging to the \u201cWe Tamils Party\u201d has to be viewed and condemned.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_48468\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-48468\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/image-600x342.jpg\" alt=\"Lankan Envoy Ansar &amp; CCTV Security Camera Footage of the insident\" width=\"600\" height=\"342\" class=\"size-large wp-image-48468\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-48468\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lankan Envoy Ansar &#038; CCTV Security Camera Footage of the insident<\/p><\/div>\n<p>September 4th 2016 being a Sunday was a holiday but not so for Lankan envoy in Malaysia Ibrahim Sahib Ansar. He and his loyal staffers at the Sri Lankan mission in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur(KL) in accordance with protocol requirements were busy catering to the arrival and departure of Sri Lankan cabinet ministers  to and from Malaysia. Industry and Commerce minister Rishad Bathiyudeen  was to arrive in the morning to participate at the annual Pangkor International Development Dialogue(PIDD). Minister of Primary Industries Daya Gamage and  Deputy Minister of Petroleum Resources Development Anoma Gamage  along with two  Sri Lankan MP\u2019s were scheduled to depart  in the afternoon. They were returning after attending the 9th International Conference of Asian Political Parties(ICAPP)held in Kuala Lumpur.<br \/>\n<!--more--><br \/>\nHigh Commissioner Ansar was at the Kuala Lumpur International airport(KLIA) in the early hours of the morning to receive Rishad Bathiyudeen and his delegation.The envoy was accompanied by his deputy chief of mission Majintha Jayesinghe holding the substantive position of Minister, Protocol officer Senthooran and Consular officer Shuhaib. All four had Airport passes for the entire day. The foursome made their way ino the KLIA  after parking the vehicles near gate No 4  close to the VIP lounge where they received Rishad Bathiudeen and other delegates.Rishad  had breakfast at High Commissioner Ansar\u2019s residence and then left for Perak to attend the PIDD in Pangkor Island.<\/p>\n<p><b>Cabinet Minister Daya Gamage<\/b><\/p>\n<p>At 12 noon , Ansar along with Jayesinghe, Senthooran and Shuhaib arrived at  \u201cHotel Istana\u201d in KL where the delegates participating at  the ICAPP were staying. The High Commission team  then escorted  Cabinet Minister Daya Gamage, Deputy minister Anoma Gamage, Ex \u2013cabinet minister and present Opposition MP  from Colombo district Dinesh Gunawardena , Kegalle District Govt MP  Sandith Samarasinghe and former Parliamentarian and ex \u2013 Muslim affairs minister A.H.M. Azwer to the  KLIA. This time the vehicles had to be parked near gate No 8 which was further away from the VIP longe.When they entered the VIP lounge  the High Commissioner  observed two  \u201csuspicious\u201d persons  at the VIP lounge entrance.While leaving the VIP lounge   after seeing the Ministers and MP\u2019s off , the envoy saw the same  two persons  talking to the Airport Security personnel and  pointing to the Sri Lankans. When they reached the exit the Lankan diplomats saw about 15 to 20 persons with distinctive \u201cSouth Indian\u201d appearances loitering outside the Airport building. Some of them wore black tee-shirts with  images of a growling tiger and  former Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam(LTTE)supremo Veluppillai Prabhakaran.Some wore black jackets covering the tee-shirts partially.<\/p>\n<p>Realising  it would be imprudent to proceed outside in such an environment,  the Sri Lankan diplomatic personnel  went inside the airport precincts again. Ansar and his deputy Jayesinghe  went to  the Airport security  guards, identified themselves as diplomats and informed them of the  potential threat posed by the persons assembled outside . They requested  that security  be provided for them  to leave the Airport premises unharmed. To their shock and dismay the Malaysian security personnel at KLIA were unmindful and unresponsive to their concerns and needs.No security escort was forthcoming.<\/p>\n<p>High Commissioner Ansar then telephoned Asst Supdt of Police Kanthan of the Special Branch in the Malaysian Police. The Special branch is the intelligence arm of the Malaysian Police dept. It had been ASP Kanthan who interacted with the Sri Lankan High Commission on Security intelligence related matters. Ansar who was well-acquainted with ASP Kanthan told the Special branch cop about the prevailing situation and asked for security.Kanthan assured Ansar that he would contact Sepang area Police under whose jurisdiction the KLIA fell and do the needful. The Lankan diplomats waited patiently but there was no Police escort.<\/p>\n<p><b>Sonia Raminder Kaur<\/b><\/p>\n<p>They also  saw that more and more of the \u201ctiger tee-shirted\u201d persons were coming into the Airport building in twos and threes. The time was nearly 3 PM.The Lankan diplomats decided to go one floor  below and leave through the exits at the arrivals section. They went down by elevator and started walking towards the Arrivals section. At one point they ran into  Ms.Sonia Raminder Kaur the Sri Lankan Airlines station manager in Kuala Lumpur and engaged briefly in conversation with her.When talking to Sonia Kaur the High Commissioner stood with his back to the escalator while his deputy Majintha Jayesinghe faced it.<\/p>\n<p>Suddenly Jayesinghe saw  several men clad in tee-shirts with images of a tiger and Prabhakaran descending on the escalator. Some were seen clutching bags. Jayesinghe alerted Ansar to what was happening and both started walking away from the spot. The gang that came down the escalator  first approached Sonia Kaur in a hostile manner shouting \u201cAre you Siree Lankan, Siree Lankan\u201d. One snatched away the identity tag around her neck.The SLA station manager who is a Malaysian national of North Indian origin replied \u201c No I am not Sri Lankan. I am a Malaysian\u201d.The mob then pointed to the Sri Lankan envoy and asked who he was.Sonia Kaur said \u201c He is the Sri Lankan High Commissioner\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>The  gang then started following the Sri Lankan diplomats who changed their plans suddenly and went through a side entrance to a restricted \u201cNo Entry\u201dzone. All four Lankan diplomats had passes allowing them entry into the restricted area. They thought the mob wont be able to follow them into a restricted area. Besides there was a security guard post at the other end.The gang however followed them into the  area marked \u201cNo Entry\u201d. Seeing the gang following,  Protocol officer Senthooran and Consular officer Shuhaib stayed back  instead of going with Ansar and Jayesinghe. In a futile bid to protect their high commissioner both tried to block the gang from proceeding further by stretching out their hands.<\/p>\n<p>The pursuing gang simply pushed them to a side.Shuhaib grasped the shoulder of one man to restrain him.He was punched in the face and fell down. The tiger-tee-shirted gang continued chasing after the Lankan envoy. After entering the restricted area , High Commissioner Ansar had thought the gang would not follow and slowed down his pace.Jayesinghe however kept moving fast and was much ahead of Ansar.Upon realising the gang was still in pursuit, Ansar too hastened his pace but the gang caught up  soon with the 60 year old envoy.<\/p>\n<p><b> &#8220;Poathum,Poathum&#8221; (enough,enough) <\/b><\/p>\n<p>After surrounding Ansar they pushed him to the wall and started raining blows on the envoy..The Sri Lankan high commissioner  tried to block the punches and ward off a few blows . The gang  comprising seven persons continued to hit him. A couple of men began kicking him. Ansar\u2019s spectacles fell on the floor and were damaged.His mobile phone too fell and was misappropriated by one of the assailants.The beating was done in silence by the gang. The blows were aimed at the victim\u2019s  face, chest and stomach. There was no exchange of words between the gang and the envoy before, during or after the assault. One man however kept saying \u201cpoathum, Poathum\u201d (enough, enough) in Tamil.Finally  the Airport security personnel arrived at the spot and stopped the assault.<\/p>\n<p>High Commissioner Ansar then introduced himself to the security guards and asked them to arrest  his assailants.The security men however declined to do so saying the assailants could be arrested only if a Police complaint is made. The High Commissioner protested at that and pointed out that the men would have escaped by the time a Police complaint was made. The security personnel then said \u201cNo we can catch them after the Police complaint is made\u201d. The assailants were then allowed to go off scot free in what appeared to be a flagrant security breach.<\/p>\n<p>The security personnel then escorted the Lankan diplomats to the Police station within the Airport premises. The High commissioner was bleeding  from an ugly gash above his eye. His  lips too had cracked and blood was oozing.. His staffers brought ice and applied it to the injuries as a first aid measure. Shuhaib had not sustained injuries in the attack  while Jayesinghe and Senthooran were virtually untouched. On their way to the Police station the Lankan diplomats saw a lot of  broken eggs on the floor. Presumably the gang had brought them in their bags to chuck at the Lankans.After lodging the complaint the High Commissioner asked for security escort to the Gleneagles Hospital on Embassy Row of \u201cJalan Ampang\u201d where most diplomatic personnel in Kuala Lumpur obtain medical treatment. The Police however refused saying they could only provide escort to a Govt hospital and not to a Private hospital.<\/p>\n<p><b>Wan Zaidi bin Wan Abdullah<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The  Lankan diplomats then went off on their own to Gleneagles hospital where High Commissioner Ansar obtained medical relief for  his injuriesThereafter he went home after informing the Foreign Affairs ministry in Colombo of what had happened. Acting promptly Esala Weerakoon who assumed duties as Foreign ministry secretary on August 1st this year summoned the newly appointed Malaysian envoy to the ministry on Monday Sep 5th. Sri Lanka\u2019s feelings of outrage and condemnation over the attack on the High commissioner was conveyed in the strongest possible terms couched in diplomatic phraseology to His excellency Wan Zaidi bin Wan Abdullah the Malaysian High Commissioner in Colombo.It was urged that adequate security be provided to the High commissioner and mission and that punitive action be taken against the assailants. The Malaysian envoy deeply regretted what had happened and  tendered an apology on behalf of his Govt for the incident.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile  CCTV camera footage of the assault had been \u201cleaked\u201d out by suspected \u201celements\u201d at the KLIA to certain media outlets.Scenes of  Ansar being assaulted were shown on some Malaysian TV Channels and You Tube.Though the actual assault had been done in silence with only one person saying \u201cenough, enough\u201d some  other words in Tamil had been added to the clip. Voices in Tamil said Mahinda had escaped but this man got caught and now he is being torn apart(Pichu Edukkiraanga). Certain news reports said that  Malaysian  Tamil activists had accosted the high commissioner and inquired from him where Mahinda Rajapaksa was and that the envoy had replied\u201d Go ask the Police\u201d. It was insinuated that the envoy\u2019s insolent retort had infuriated the \u201cactivists\u201d who had then assaulted Ansar. In one more version of the \u2018blame the victim\u2019syndrome it was being propagated that Ansar brought the attack upon himself. The truth was that the High Commissioner had at no stage spoken or talked to his saailants. The assailants were \u201cwordless\u201d except for one saying enough. Ansar himself had not uttered a word even  while trying to defend himself.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_48474\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-48474\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/SA-MA-600x338.jpg\" alt=\"High Commissioner Ibrahim Ansar in a courtesy call with Mohd Johari Baharum is a member of the governing United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) party~ pic: twitter.com\/mjoharibaharum\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" class=\"size-large wp-image-48474\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-48474\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">High Commissioner Ibrahim Ansar in a courtesy call with Mohd Johari Baharum is a member of the governing United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) party~ pic: twitter.com\/mjoharibaharum<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Another  news report was that High Commissioner  Ansar had been recalled to Sri Lanka.This too was false and circulated  perhaps by interested parties in Malaysia  to embarrass the envoy.Ibrahim Sahib Ansar is a senior diplomat hailing from Erukkalampitty in Mannar district.After graduating Ansar  worked as a Customs officer for a while before entering the Sri Lanka Foreign service as part of the 1985 batch of recruits. He has served in the UK and Indonesia as a diplomat and as Ambassador to Oman, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. He was also chief of protocol at one time.Ansar who is also a qualified lawyer was posted to Kuala Lumpur after K. Godage was recalled prematurely from Malaysia when Prof. G. L. Peiris was Foreign minister. Ibrahim Sahib Ansar\u2019s term of office ends in October this year.Former Colombo Mayor A.J. M. Muzammil has been designated as the new High commissioner to Malaysia.<\/p>\n<p><b>CCTV Security  Camera Footage<\/b><\/p>\n<p>After initial dilly-dallying Malaysian authorities got their act in order and began to crack down. The district supdt of Police for Sepang Abdel Azeez  contacted High Commissioner Ansar. The Kuala Lumpur International Airport is located in the Sepang district.   The envoy was told that the security personnel at the Airport were new and inexperienced and therefore had not responded correctly to the attack. The Sepang Police perused much CCTV  Security camera footage but were unable to identify any of the assailants clearly. When told of this High Commissioner Ansar said that he could identify some of the assailants.Thereafter Police stepped up efforts and with the help of \u201cinformants\u201d in the Malaysian Indian community arrested five suspects. The High commissioner\u2019s stolen phone was also recovered. Police  told the media that they had arrested five and  were searching for four others.<\/p>\n<p>Malaysian  Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar announced that  police had arrested five people aged between 27 and 56 from areas such as  Dengkil, Ipoh and Kuala Lumpur. Four more suspects have also been identified, and an operation  has been launched to bring them into custody the IGP stated.Khalid  further said  that police were probing local groups to check on their possible links with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Sri Lanka. There were also news reports that the arrested suspects were being detained and interrogated under Malaysia\u2019s Security Offences (Special Measures)Act known generally as SOSMA. The SOSMA was created in 2012 under Article 149 of the Malaysian Federal Constitution to combat  internal security issues including public order, acts of terrorism, sabotage and espionage etc.<\/p>\n<p>The fact that the men who assaulted High Commissioner Ansar wore Black tee-shirts with images of a tiger and Prabhakaran led to a widespread belief in Sri Lanka that the assailants belonged to the LTTE. Some opposition politicians stated openly that the LTTE was responsible and described the assault as an act of terrorism.Cold water was poured on such assertions when Malaysian Deputy Home Minister, Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohomed, said in a media statement that the  assault on Sri Lanka\u2019s High Commissioner to Malaysia, Ibrahim Sahib Ansar, at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) was a \u201cpolitical act\u201d and not a \u201cterrorist act\u201d.\u201cIt was an isolated incident triggered by political conflicts,\u201d Nur Jazlan said. \u201cThe incident had nothing to do with terrorism. However, necessary action has been taken against five people, currently in police custody,\u201d the New Straits Times, quoted him as saying.Nur Jazlan assured that Malaysia will not meddle in Sri Lanka\u2019s affairs, and that the incident will not have any impact on Malaysia.<\/p>\n<p><b>Kalaimughilan and Balamurugan<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The arrested suspects were arraigned with some others in an identity parade by the Police. High Commissioner Ansar identified two out of the twenty persons produced at the Identity parade. On September 9th two men were charged at the Sepang Sessions Court  for assaulting Sri Lanka\u2019s High Commissioner to Malaysia, Ibrahim Sahib Ansar,  on September 4th.Malaysian newspapers  reported that the two men \u2013 businessman A. Kalaimughilan, 26, from Rawang and taxi driver V. Balamurugan, 32, pleaded not guilty to charges of rioting and causing injuries to the victim at about 3pm at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).The charge was read under Section 147 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum two years jail term, a fine, or both upon conviction.<\/p>\n<p>Deputy Public Prosecutor Fariza Hamzah requested for bail to be set at 20,000  Malaysian Ringgit each, saying their act had smeared the country\u2019s image.Lawyer M. Manoharan, who represented the two accused, pleaded for a lower bail amount as he said the accused were from poor families and had no criminal records. Another counsel for the accused, A. Sivanesan, said his clients had cooperated with the police during their detention, and argued the bail amount was unreasonable. Judge Muhammad Faizal Ismail then set bail at 7,000 Malaysian Ringgit with one surety each and fixed October 7 as the next date of trial. Incidently one  US dollar equals about four Malaysian Ringgits.<\/p>\n<p>Despite assurances that adequate security would be provided to High Commissioner Ansar and the Sri Lankan mission nothing tangible materialized for many days. This led to much heartburn within official circles in Colombo. A note of concern  at the delay was conveyed to Kuala Lumpur at the highest level. Finally after a week long delay security was provided by Malaysian authorities with effect from Sep 12th. Round the clock security  has been given to both the Sri Lankan High Commission as well as the High Commissioner\u2019s residence. Also a security detail of three Personal Security officers has been provided to  the Lankan envoy .<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_48477\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-48477\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Kabali.jpg\" alt=\"&quot;Kabali&quot;\" width=\"300\" height=\"186\" class=\"size-full wp-image-48477\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-48477\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">&#8220;Kabali&#8221;<\/p><\/div>\n<p><b>Special Screening of &#8220;Kabali&#8221; <\/b><\/p>\n<p>The attack on High commissioner Ansar sent shock waves down the Tamil speaking community in Malaysia. The envoy had interacted very closely with all concerned and had been immensely helpful to both Sri Lankans in Malaysia as well as Malaysian nationals of Sri Lankan origin. Being fluent in Tamil as a Northern province Muslim High Commissioner Ansar had moved with the larger Tamil  population of Malaysia consisting predominantly of Tamils from India. He maintained friendly links with the Malaysian Indian Congress a constituent of  the ruling \u201cBarisan Nasional\u201d coalition Govt led by Prime minister Dato&#8217; Sri Haji Mohammad Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak. Ansar had been invited as an honoured guest of Datuk  Murugan Saravanan the Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports in the special screening of the  movie \u201dKabali\u201d organized by the Malaysian Indian Congress. The movie starring superstar Rajnikanth is  about a Tamil gang leader in Malaysia. Ansar has also participated in tamil literary meetings and delivered the keynote speech at a \u201cThirukkural\u201d research  conference<\/p>\n<p>Against this backdrop the attack on  Ibrahim Sahib Ansar was not welcomed by the larger Tamil community in Malaysia. In an attempt perhaps to contain this tendency a well \u2013known  Malaysian Tamil politician and one time supporter of the LTTE jumped into the fray with a hard-hitting statement against the victim of the assault.Palanisamy Ramasamy is the deputy chief minister of the Penang state in Malaysia and the opposition Democratic Action Party (DAP) Member of Parliament for the Batu Kawan constituency. He is the shadow foreign minister in the \u201cPakatan Rakyat\u201d opposition coalition.<\/p>\n<p>According to a news report in \u201cThe Malaysian Times\u201d by Vanesha Shurentheran,  Ramasamy  had said at a press meet in Komtar that while  not condoning acts of violence against anybody,  the assault against Ansar, had a background. Ramasamy alleged  that when some Tamil youths approached Ansar at the Kuala Lumpur international airport (KLIA) and asked about the whereabouts of  former Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapakse, he(Ansar) had  apparently replied: \u201cWe will wipe out the Tigers in Malaysia as we wiped out the LTTE in Sri Lanka\u201d.Ramasamy said \u201cSuch a hostile act, rather unbecoming of a diplomat was responsible for the subsequent assault and detention of the five by the police\u201d.<\/p>\n<p><b>Palanisamy Ramasamy<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Palanisamy  Ramamsamy further  said that Ansar is no ordinary diplomat in Malaysia, he added that the latter was sent to gather information of the activities of the Tamils especially those who are in support of the creation of independent Tamil Eelam, a separate state for Tamils in the north and east of Sri Lanka.\u201cIn the last few years he was responsible for coordinating information about Tamil refugees coming into the country and passing them to the Malaysian police.\u201cAs result of the nefarious activities of Ibrahim Ansar a number of Tamil refugees have been deported back to Sri Lanka by the Malaysian authorities to face detention, torture and lengthy imprisonment in Sri Lanka,\u201d said Ramasamy.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_48482\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-48482\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/PR-NT3.jpg\" alt=\"Palanisamy  Ramamsamy speaks at a Malaysian &quot;We Tamils&quot; event ~ Oct 2014\" width=\"300\" height=\"163\" class=\"size-full wp-image-48482\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-48482\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Palanisamy  Ramamsamy speaks at a Malaysian &#8220;We Tamils&#8221; event ~ Oct 2014<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Ramasamy said that he strongly condemns the \u201cunhealthy\u201d role Ansar  had played and  added that the latter was not suitable to serve as diplomat in the country anymore.\u201cWhile the police were overzealous in arresting the five protestors, they have remained silent on the provocative statement made by Ibrahim.\u201cWe want the Malaysian government to expel Ibrahim Ansar  as soon as possible before he creates further problems between Tamils here and the Malaysian government,\u201d said Ramasamy.<\/p>\n<p>In an interesting development Ramasamy\u2019s unfounded allegations against High Commissioner Ansar were echoed faithfully by Tamil Nadu politician Vaiyapuri Gopalaswamy who now calls himself \u201cVaiko\u201d. The leader of the Marumalasrchi Dravida Munnetra Lazhagham(MDMK) was a known acolyte of LTTE Leader Veluppillai Prabhakaran. He still remains a close supporter of the tigers. The identical sentiments expressed against High Commissioner Ansar by Ramasamy and Vaiko and the joint demand for the envoy\u2019s withdrawal seemed to suggest that the Malaysian  deputy home minister\u2019s statement about the assault  not being a \u201cterrorist\u201d act warranted a re-scrutiny.<\/p>\n<p>While the likes of Ramasamy and Vaiko ranted and raved against Ansar  there was much sympathy for the envoy in his home and native land.The  assault of Sri Lanka\u2019s High Commissioner  to Malaysia naturally evoked much indignation and concern in Sri Lanka. People of different ethnicities and religions were  united in condemning the attack. The national mood was reflected in the legislature too when  Parliamentarians  cutting across party affiliations \u2013 From Prime Minister Wickremesinghe to Leader of the Opposition Sampanthan &#8211; raised their voices unitedly against the attack.The Malaysian Govt was strongly urged to provide adequate security and also bring to book the perpetrators of violence.<\/p>\n<p><b> &#8220;We Tamils\/Naam Thamizhar&#8221;<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe revealed in Parliament that the persons involved in the assault belonged to the  \u201cWe Tamils\u201d movement.  According to newspaper reports the Premier  had stated \u201cIt has been found that the attackers were from the Malaysian branch of the \u2018We Tamils\u2019\/ Naam Thamilar of Tamil Nadu. They live in Malaysia and have Indian citizenship. They are not Sri Lankans. We are taking action against the LTTEers in Malaysia.. This group has links to the main opposition of Malaysia. We are ready to send a delegation to discuss with this group\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Ranil Wickremesinghe\u2019s disclosure about the involvement of \u201cNaam Thamizhar\u201d or \u201cWe Tamils\u201d activists in the attacks is certainly correct. However his references to their citizenship status seems to be incorrect. Those at the forefront of \u201cNaam Thamizhar\u201d in Malaysia are Tamils of Indian origin but most of them are Malaysian citizens. Generally persons with Indian citizenship alone do not get involved in active politics particularly political violence for fear of being deported.<\/p>\n<p>In this instance those suspected of engaging in violence seem to be  Malaysian Tamil adherents of the We Tamils Movement or party. The party leader is Tamil Nadu actor-director  Seeman who is an LTTE fellow traveller. The party symbol is a tiger and activists generally wear black tee-shirts with images of the tiger and Prabhakaran.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_48485\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-48485\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/RW-0916.jpg\" alt=\"Prime minister Wickremesinghe~ Pic: facebook.com\/ranil.wickremesinghe.leader \" width=\"300\" height=\"245\" class=\"size-full wp-image-48485\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-48485\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Prime minister Wickremesinghe~ Pic: facebook.com\/ranil.wickremesinghe.leader<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Prime minister Wickremesinghe\u2019s assertion about the Naam Thamizhar\/We Tamils being responsible for the Ansar Assault is correct but  the premier\u2019s assertion about being ready to send a delegation for discussions with the group is indeed bizarre! Whatever for? Rational dialogue is not possible with these elements. It would serve no useful purpose whatsoever except to boost the image of \u201cNaam Thamilar\u201d. Anyone who really understands the true nature of this neo-fascist movement would not countenance such a move. If the prime minister  persists with such an intention then he will only lend  himself  vulnerable unintentionally to charges of appeasement in the future.<\/p>\n<p><b>Interesting Questions<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Many interesting questions arise in the present situation.<\/p>\n<p>What is the background of the \u201cNaam Thamizhar\/We Tamils\u201d Movement or party?<\/p>\n<p>How and why did former President Mahinda Rajapaksa\u2019s visit to Malaysia to attend the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP) held in Kuala Lumpur spark off protest demonstrations against his entry to Malaysia?<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_48499\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-48499\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/MR-ICAPP.jpg\" alt=\"President Mahinda Rajapaksa at IACPP~Sep 2016\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" class=\"size-full wp-image-48499\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-48499\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">President Mahinda Rajapaksa at IACPP~Sep 2016<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Was it only the \u201cWe Tamils Party \u201c alone which organized the anti-Rajapaksa protest campaign or were other political formations also involved?<\/p>\n<p>Why was the  Venerable B. Sri Saranankara Maha Nayake  Thera of the Sri Lanka Buddhist Temple at Sembul attacked and by whom?<\/p>\n<p>If Mahinda Rajapaksa was the real target of the protest campaign and assailants how did the ex-president manage to be in Kuala Lumpur and return home unscathed?<\/p>\n<p>Have the pro-LTTE Tamil diaspora elements launched an anti-Mahinda campaign to target  him whenever he travels abroad to a country where trhere is a significant Tamil presence?<\/p>\n<p>Was the assault on High Commissioner Ansar calculated to disrupt the good relations between Malaysia and Sri Lanka and hamper the on going efforts undertaken by that country to apprehend and deport LTTE suspects living in Malaysia?<\/p>\n<p>Why did the Malaysian Police who provided security from Sep 2nd to 3rd to the High Commissioner due to a perceived fire bomb threat   so lackadaisical on Sep 4th?<\/p>\n<p>The above mentioned  and other related questions would be delved into with greater detail in a forthcoming article.<\/p>\n<p><em>This article written for the &#8220;DBS Jeyaraj Column&#8221; appears in the &#8220;Daily Mirror&#8221; of September 17, 2016, it can be reached via this link:<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dailymirror.lk\/dbs-jeyaraj-column\">http:\/\/www.dailymirror.lk\/dbs-jeyaraj-column<\/a><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>DBS Jeyaraj can be reached at <a href=\"mailto:dbsjeyaraj@yahoo.com\"><font color=\"\">dbsjeyaraj@yahoo.com<\/font> <\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/MA-HC-FB-1-600x413.jpg\" alt=\"ma-hc-fb\" width=\"600\" height=\"413\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-48501\" \/><\/p>\n<div id=\"tweetbutton48469\" class=\"tw_button\" style=\"float:right;margin-left:10px;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdbsjeyaraj.com%2Fdbsj%2F%3Fp%3D48469&amp;text=Assault%20on%20Sri%20Lankan%20High%20Commissioner%20%20Ansar%20in%20Kuala%20Lumpur%20Airport%20by%20Malaysian%20%26%238220%3BWe%20Tamils%2FNaam...%20&amp;related=&amp;lang=en&amp;count=horizontal\" class=\"twitter-share-button\"  style=\"width:55px;height:22px;background:transparent url('https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/wp-content\/plugins\/wp-tweet-button\/tweetn.png') no-repeat  0 0;text-align:left;text-indent:-9999px;display:block;\">Tweet<\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By D.B.S.Jeyaraj An official Ambassador is defined as a diplomat of the highest rank accredited to a foreign Govt as the resident representative of his or her own country. The equivalent designation to an Ambassador among Commonwealth Nations is the High Commissioner. Since an Ambassador or High Commissioner is the premier representative of his or &#8230;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=48469\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading &lsquo;Assault on Sri Lankan High Commissioner  Ansar in Kuala Lumpur Airport by Malaysian &#8220;We Tamils\/Naam Thamizhar&#8221;&rsquo; &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[27],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48469"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=48469"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48469\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48502,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48469\/revisions\/48502"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=48469"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=48469"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=48469"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}