Rev. Fr. Xavier Karunaratnam

Rev. Fr. Mariyampillai Xavier Karunaratnam, widely known as “Kili Father” was Killed in a Landmine Explosion at Ambaikulam between Vavunikulam and Vannivilaankulam in the Vanni on April 20, 2008.

Claymore Kills “Kili Father” M.X. Karunaratnam at Ambaikulam

One more name was added last sunday to Sri Lanka’s growing list of Tamil Christian clergymen killed in the on going ethnic conflict.

The latest victim was the Catholic priest Rev.Fr Mariampillai Xavier Karunaratnam popularly known as “Kilifather” .He was killed in a claymore mine explosion on April 20th.

Fr. Karunaratnam had in recent times become well-known as a human rights activist. He was one of the founders of an organization known as the North-East secretariat on Human Rights (NESOHR) and was its chairperson at the time of his death.

The NESOHR has focussed on the human rights violations perpetrated on Tamil civilians by members of the armed forces, Police, para-military outfits and state sanctioned assassination squads.

The NESOHR also records incidents of artillery shelling and aerial bombardment by the security forces and documents he quantum of injuries,deaths, destruction and displacement caused.

While being the livewire of the NESOHR Fr. Karunaratnam had also been running a meditation and counselling center in the Vavunikulam area.This center has been providing counselling and psychological care to numerous Tamil civilians affected by the war.

KILLING OF ‘KILI’

“Kilifather”as he is popularly known was attached to the “our Lady of Good Health ” (Aarokkiyamaathaa) Church at the agrarian village of Vavunikulam.

On Sunday April 20th the 57 year old Catholic clergyman had gone to Maankulam to help conduct the morning mass. Thereafter he proceeded to Mallaavi to attend a special memorial meeting . The meeting was to commemorate former Tamil National Alliance MP Kittinan Sivanesan on the 45th day after his death.Sivanesan was killed in a claymore mine explosion in the Mannankulam area . The specialist assassination unit of the armed forces known as Long range reconnaissance patrol (LRRP) was responsible for Sivanesan’s killing.

Officially the army denied both the killing and existence of the LRRP then. Now there has been another victim.

Fr. Karunaratnam ’s white double – cab had developed engine trouble and broken down at Vannivilaankulam. It was then tied to another vehicle with a thick rope and towed along.

Fr. Karunaratnam sat in the driving seat of the double cab with his hands on the steering vehicle to help keep the towed vehicle steady.

Another Catholic layman helper was also in the vehicle proceeding along the Mallaavi – Vavunikulam road. Apparently Fr. Karunaratnam was keen on returning to Vavunikulam for lunch.

The two vehicles were at a point near the “Kulanthai Yesu” (child Jesus) chapel at Ambaikulam when the claymore explosion occurred at about 12. 20 – 25 pm. The incident happened between Vavunikulam and Vannivilaankulam at Ambaikulam. It was the towed vehicle at the rear and not the towing vehicle at front that was the target.

The assassins who triggered off the claymore were very clear in their objective. Both the clergyman and layman in the white double – cab were injured. Both were taken to Kilinochchi hospital but Fr. Karunaratnam was pronounced dead upon admission.

The layman helper who sustained serious injuries is receiving intensive care at Kilinochchi. The remains of Fr. Karunaratnam were taken to St. Theresa’s Church in Kilinochchi. Thousands of people both Christian and Hindu paid their respects.

Posters and black flags have also come up in some parts of Army – controlled Jaffna in respect of “Kilifather” and also in protest over the assassination. Mariampillai Xavier Karunaratnam was killed just eight days after his 57th birthday.He was born on April 12th 1951.Kilifather hailed from Karaveddy in the Vadamaratchy region of Jaffna peninsula.

FAMILY BACKGROUND AND POLITICS

His parents were teachers. He was one of seven children (four boys and three girls). Their house was near Vickneshwara College.

One of his younger brothers Fr. Gnanaratnam is also a Catholic priest. Karunaratnam’s pet name in childhood was “kili” or parrot.The name stuck to him as an adult too. He obtained his primary and secondary education at Vickeshwara – Karaveddy, Sacred Heart – Nelliaddy and St.Patrick’s in Jaffna. Karunaratnam entered priesthood later in life. He was a teacher and bank officer before that. Xavier Karunaratnam was an ardent Tamil nationalist from his student days. He was involved with the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) youth wing “Ilaingar Peravai” and student wing “Maanavar Peravai”. In the 1977 general elections Karunaratnam was actively involved with the TULF addressing many election meetings in the Udupiddy electorate.His native place Karaveddy was in the Udupiddy electorate.

The 1977 elections was a watershed in Tamil politics as the TULF contested on a platform of secession and claimed that electoral success would be a mandate for Tamil Eelam. The TULF won 18 of 19 Tamil electorates in the North-East. The TULF victory in Udupiddy was historic.

It was the first time that a member of the so-called depressed castes contested and won a seat anywhere in the North-East.

There had been Senators and appointed MP’s but no elected Parliamentarian until then. S. Rasalingam a senior education dept official contested Udupiddy and won. People like Karunaratnam immeresd themselves in the campaign.Karunaratnam was then teaching English at the Newton Tutorial College in Nelliaddy. He was a popular teacher and affectionately referred to as “Kilivaathi” then. “Vaathi” is short for “Vaathiyaar” meaning teacher. After elections in 1977 some Tamil youths got employment in Bank of Ceylon and People’s Bank. Karunaratnam also became a clerk at Bank of Ceylon and later went up to officer grade as asst. manager. He continued teaching while being a bank officer. He used to ride a C-90 motor cycle then. Karunaratnam also maintained his interest in politics though he refrained from going public as he was now a bank employee. The late-seventies and early-eighties of the 20th century was a time when Tamil youth supporters of the TULF were becoming increasingly estranged from the TULF because of its perceived reluctance to push ahead with the Tamil Eelam mandate.

There were many incidents of friction between TULF seniors and youths then. In one instance in the late seventies a meeting was held at the premises of Velupillai timber depot in Saamiyanarasaddy in Karaveddy.

Both Udupiddy MP Rasalingam and TULF president M. Sivasithamparam participated. Sivasithamparam , a former MP of Udupiddy and was called the Udupiddy Singam” (lion) . He had given up the electorate for Rasalingam and contested Nallur in 1977 where Sivasithamparam won the largest majority in the Country.There was a heated argument between radical youths and TULF elders. At one point the friction turned into fisticuffs. TULF activist Anandavinayagam alias “Vannai Aanandan” was singled out for attack by the youths. It was Karunaratnam who saved Vannai Anandan. With the beleagured Vannai Anandam on the pillion Karunaratnam took a cross-country route across fields and bylanes to Sonappu from where Vannai Anandan was dispatched safely to Jaffna town.“Kilivaathi”’s exploit in saving Vannai was spoken about widely then. Karunaratnam had a spiritual streak in him. He was always concerned about serving the people. It was in the mid eighties that Xavier Karunaratnam began feeling that he was being “called” by God. He responded to the call and abandoned his banking career.

He was ordained as a priest at the age of 38 in 1989. Kilivaathi now became known as Kilifather. Fr. Karunaratnam’s Tamil nationalism remained. Despite donning the cassock the clergyman fervently believed that Tamil Eelam was the only solution for the salvation of the Tamil nation.

Many Tamil nationalists of his calibre who believe in Tamil Eelam then take the step of supporting an armed struggle to achieve it. The next step would be that of supporting the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). To those of this mindset and mood the tigers are the only ones continuing with the armed struggle to achieve Tamil Eelam.This was Fr. Karunaratnam’s position also. His political belief was tempered by his priestly duties.In “kilifather”s case there was another reason for his closeness to the LTTE.Since they were both from Karaveddy, the LTTE ideologue and political strategist Anton Stanislaus Balasingham was well – known to Karunaratnam. In fact some of Balasingham’s nephews were his close friends.This Balasingham link enhanced his closeness to the LTTE further. Fr. Karunaratnam was made the head of the NGO consortium in the Wanni. He also functioned as a correspondent of the Catholic Church Radio service “Veritas” based in Manila.

After the ceasefire of 2002 Fr. Karunaratnam along with some others founded the NESOHR. Among founding members were former TNA parliamentarians Joseph Pararajasingham. Chandranehru Ariaratnam, current MP Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, Lawyer K. Sivapalan, Ceylon teachers union official K. Mahasivam,S. Atchuthan ms. Sri Arulananthan,and Dr’s N. Malathy, S.Sriskandarajah and . Sivapalan. The NESOHR was associated with the LTTE peace secretariat in the beginning.

KILI FATHER RETURNS TO JAFFNA

Fr. Karunaratnam returned to Jaffna in 2002 after the LTTE moved in under the guise of doing politics. He moved to Pallai with tiger political commissar for Jaffna Ilamparithy when suspected tiger supporters were becoming targets.In 2006 he re-located to the Wanni again.

The NESOHR has in recent times compiled records about human rights violations and atrocities against Tamil civilians by the armed forces. Fr. Karunaratnam in his capacity as a human rights activist has travelled to Europe and North America. Apart from attending Human Rights Council meetings in Geneva he has engaged in full scale lobbying.

He has also met with many diplomats, human rights activists, NGO personnel and media representatives. Since the NESOHR opts to see only one side of the situation it is not perceived as trustworthy or reliable.There was a time when the NESOHR openly stated that they were willing to co-operate with reputed Human Rights Organizations. Diplomats, media representatives and HR organizations were in touch with Fr. Karunaratnam and the NESOHR to get information. However this was only used as one of many avenues to procure information. NeitherFr. Karunaratnam nor the NESOHR were regarded as reliable. They could not be quoted or cited in any report.

Attempts by well-wishers to make Fr. Karunaratnam recognize this harsh reality were unsuccessful. Nevertheless it must be emphasised that Fr. Karunaratnam and the NESOHR must be commended for chronicling the human rights violations perpetrated by the state and state agencies against innocent Tamil civilians. These are largely unreported in the mainstream media and by reputed Human rights organizations. However it must be ackowledged that Fr. Karunaratnam was one of those trying to persuade the LTTE to refrain from human rights violations.

He played an important role in getting the LTTE to return some conscripts. The LTTE decision not to recruit those under 17 years was also influenced to some extent by Fr. Karunaratnam. His pro-tiger leanings is no excuse to target and kill him. Whatever his politics his inalienable right to have those political beliefs cannot be denied. It is also a fact that he was a devout priest concerned about the tragic plight of his afflicted people.