Fr. Jimbrown

– A shepherd who laid down his life for the sheep -

Who is Fr. Jimbrown?

Rev. Fr. Thiruchelvam Nihal Jimbrown is a young catholic priest of the diocese of Jaffna, SriLanka. He was born in 1972, at Puthukudiyirruppu, a village in the Mullaithivu District as the elder son of the family. The parents being devout Christians decided to offer their first fruit to God and Nihal went through the necessary formation and was ordained priest in 2004. He was sent to Mannar a neighboring Diocese and worked as the assistant parish priest at St Sebastian’s Cathedral for two years. Coming back to the Jaffna Diocese, he took up the assignment as the Parish priest of St. Philipneri’s Church Allapiddy in August 2006. There he worked only for ten days and that became his first and the last parish and those ten days are engraved forever in the collative memory of the northern Tamil Catholics.

What Happened?

He took over the parish from his predecessor, who had played a key role on behalf of the people and justice after the massacre of 10 people on the night of May 13th 2006, purportedly by the Security forces or their agents. He had to be transferred out as it was felt that it is unsafe for him to serve there any further.

While Fr. Jimbrown was in St. Philip Neri’s Church, 13th August, Sunday morning, with the people who sought asylum there because of a conflict between the Sri Lankan Security Forces and the LTTE, shells hit the church. 20 were killed in and around the church, and more than 100 were injured. He and many others escaped since they were in the rear of the church.

He then led the people out with the injured but was stopped by the Navy. He, kneeling begged from the navy to allow the people especially the injured, and managed to take them out to Kayts. On their way to Kayts also they were stopped and the forces tried to separate the youth from the rest of the people and wanted them to proceed leaving the youth behind but Fr. Jimbrown being a Good Shepherd would not give in he was ready to die with them rather than leaving them behind at the mercy of the angry security forces. His perseverance freed the people but has brought him a black mark from the side of the security forces.

On Sunday 20th August 2006, he went from Kayts to Mandaitivu with his helper W. Winsan Vimalathas alias Vimalan to offer Holy Mass. But they were not allowed to enter that village. They then went to Jaffna, and left for Kayts the same day around 1 p.m. Rev. Fr. Peter Thurairatnam had also left at the same time and had accompanied them up to Allaipiddy. At Allaipitty junction, Fr. Jimbrown obtained Navy approval and turned into Allaipiddy at 1.50 p.m., with his pillion rider, Vimalan, a father of five children. Both have not been seen by any civilian after that time and are now considered disappeared.

When Bishop Soundaranayagam inquired from the Northern Navy Commander, he had replied that according to the Navy at the Allaipiddy junction, they left Allaipiddy at 2.10 pm the same day. Inquiries revealed that they had not gone to Jaffna or Kayts thereafter.

The Islands, especially Mandaitivu and Kayts, are under very strict surveillance of the SL Navy and the supporting ‘armed groups’, and it is impossible for anything to have happened to them without the knowledge of the Navy. In fact, at a previous meeting with the Navy there, Fr. Jimbrown had been abused as an LTTE supporter and even threatened by them. This had been mentioned by him to his brother priests and he had expressed fears for his life and the Bishop too had already considered transferring him out.

On the 21st evening, the Priest at Kayts inquired by phone whether Fr. Jim was still in Jaffna as he had not returned to Kayts till then. As it was curfew time inquires could be made only by phone and the Bishop too was alerted that Fr. Jimbrown’s whereabouts are not known.

On the 22nd two priests from Jaffna together with the priest at Kayts met the CO of the Navy at Velanai but he said that he had no information to offer. They then went to the Allaipiddy checkpoint where they were told hat he had gone into Allaipiddy and had left for Jaffna soon after.

When this was reported to the Bishop, he called the Northern Navy Commander and inquired to which after verifying from the Allaipiddy checkpoint, he had replied that the priest had left Allaipiddy at 2.10 pm. The Bishop then made inquires from the Jaffna Town Commander, and was told that he too had no information to offer.

From then many attempts were made to trace him out; the Bishop of Jaffna, the Bishop of Mannar, the SriLankan Bishops’ conference and the Apostolic Nuncio for Sri Lanka have made several appeals to the President of Sri Lanka but has got no reply. The Catholics of the both Dioceses have observed many fasting and prayer campaigns and organized protest marches but with no results. The fear of the day is that he is also going to be added to a long list of missing people in the North and East of Sri Lanka, who are purportedly made to disappear by the Security forces or their agents.

Though young, Fr. Jim was a zealous priest known for his wise homilies and deep prayer life. Within his two years of ministry he has shown that he is really a Shepherd who goes after the lost sheep and shows special care for the weak and the sick.

The background

This is not the first incident in the history of the Church in the North and the East of Sri Lanka. Fr. Mary Bastian from Vankalai went missing in 1985 with some others. They were never found. A few days later Rev Jeyarajasingham a Methodist priest and his wife were found burnt to death in their vehicle at Murunkan. These incidents took place after these two priests got involved in burying the dead bodies of some Tamils who were shot dead by the security forces. An American Jesuit priest in Batticaloa Fr. Herbiet went missing while traveling through Eravur in 1990. Another priest, Fr. Selvarajah went missing in Sorikalmunai in Amparai district the same year. Fr. Wenceslaus at Tholagatty monastery was killed in 1986 by security forces. Fr. Chandra Fernando of Batticaloa was shot dead in 1988. Now Fr. Jim is added to this list. We do not know how many more shepherds will have to lay their lives for the sake of their suffering flock in SriLanka.

The civil war that is being weighed in SL for the last 30 years has taken many lives. Many went simply disappeared and never returned. The Tamils who are predominantly living in the North and East of Sri Lanka are struggling for independence as they are oppressed in many respects by the Sinhala majority Government. The four year long ceasefire facilitated by the Norway seems to sway as violence is on the increase from last December. At present the Jaffna peninsula, where more than 500,000 of Tamils live, is completely isolated from the rest of the country even from the rest of the world. The supply rout to Jaffna is completely cut off for more than a year and the people are facing starvation. The ICRC and the UN agencies also have raised concerns for the plight of the people. But the Government which has proved itself to be the most racial one when compared to those of the past, has rejected even the concerns of these international bodies and holds that the allegations are ungrounded.

The Tamils who are undergoing untold sufferings, having no hope in the Governments of Sri Lanka are looking for help from the international community. They want lead a decent life in their traditional home land as a nation that has the right for self determination. Will Justice be done to them?

The Catholic Church, Jaffna Diocese

20-08-2007

"Man cannot progress alone, all men must grow together" - Pope Paul VI

நடந்த பிரச்சனைகளை கட்டுரை விபரமாக கூறுகின்றது. இதை அறிக்கையை வெளியிட்டது யார்? எதாவது சஞ்சிகையா? எவ்வாறு இந்தக் கட்டுரை உங்களுக்கு கிடைத்தது?

செய்தி மூலம் 'The Catholic Church, Jaffna Diocese' இப்படி கூறப்பட்டுள்ளது. விளங்கவில்லை..

மின்னஞ்சலில் வந்திருக்கும் அது தான் இணைப்பு என்று எதுவும் குடுக்க முடியாமல் இருந்திருக்கும்.

;ஆனால் அதை தயாரித்து வெளியிட்டது யார் என்று சொல்லியிருக்குத் தானே.

உதைப் பாத்திட்டு எசியன்ரிபியூனில எழுதினனை பிறகு வால்ஸ்ரிறிட் யேர்ணலில் சப்ஸ்கிரிப்சன் சேவிசில வந்தது ஒட்டுறத்துக் வெளிக்கிடுவினம் கவனம்.

இது தனி மெயில் மூலம்

Subject: Remembering the missing Priest Fr.Jim Brownஎனும் தலைப்பில் எனக்கு வந்தது.

இக் கட்டுரை

வணக்கத்துக்குரிய ஜெயக்குமார் மதகுருவானவரால் அனுப்பப்பட்டு

சுவிஸ் கத்தோலிக்க ஆண்மீக பணியகத்தால்

எனக்கு கிடைத்தது.

மறைந்த வணக்கத்துக்குரிய ஜிம்பிரவுண் அவர்களோடு

கொலை செய்யப்பட்டதாக கருதப்படும்

விமலதாஸ்

நன்றி

http://jesutamil.ch/

Edited August 21, 200718 yr by AJeevan

தகவலுக்கு நன்றி அஜீவன் அண்ணா! இதன் தமிழ் ஆக்கம் இல்லையா? இருந்தால் ஊர்ப்புதினம் பகுதியில் பலரும் பார்ப்பதற்கு ஒட்டலாம்... இல்லாவிட்டால் இதுபற்றி ஏற்கனவே ஊர்ப்புதினம் பகுதியில் ஏதாவது செய்தி இருக்கின்றதோ தெரியாது...

இணைப்பிற்கு நன்றி அஜீவன்.