ALLAIPITTY (UCAN): Two decades after Father Thiruchchelvan Nihal Jim Brown and his companion Wenceslaus Vinces Vimalathas disappeared during the civil war in Sri Lanka, Catholics in Allaipitty, Jaffna, joined a memorial programme and demanded truth and justice for the priest and his companion.
About 200 people, mostly Catholics, paid tribute to Father Brown and Vimalathas on August 20. The priest had been parish priest of St. Philip Neri Church in Allaipitty and was engaged in humanitarian work for people displaced by the conflict between the military and Tamil separatist rebels before he disappeared on 20 August 2006 [Sunday Examiner, 3 September 2006].
It was three years before the war officially ended in 2009, leaving more than 100,000 people dead, thousands injured and tens of thousands displaced.
Both sides have been accused of crimes against humanity during the conflict, such as extrajudicial killings, abductions and enforced disappearances, according to rights groups.
Catholic priests were among those disappeared during the conflict, according to Church sources.
Both sides have been accused of crimes against humanity during the conflict, such as extrajudicial killings, abductions and enforced disappearances, according to rights groups
The people who joined the commemoration also marched on the streets with banners demanding truth and justice for Father Brown, his companions and others who disappeared during the war.
Father Leo Armstrong, the current parish priest of St. Philip Neri Church, said people deserve to know the truth about the priest and his companion who dedicated their lives to the service of the people.
He also called for the truth about other people who went missing during the conflict.
“In our village alone, at least 21 persons have been reported missing since 1990. There are eyewitnesses for such events, including those who had seen Father Brown on his motorcycle going towards the church to help war-affected people. Nobody knows what happened to them,” the priest explained.
He regretted that despite the war ending 17 years ago, successive governments failed to reveal the truth and deliver justice for many people who became victims of enforced disappearance.
The disappearance of Father Brown at the age of 33 is believed to have taken a toll on his family.
His mother died as a result of the profound grief caused by her son’s disappearance, and his father has since become seriously ill, according to a statement from the Justice and Peace Commission of the Diocese of Jaffna.
Despite repeated requests by the Church, human rights organisations, and concerned individuals, nearly twenty years have passed without a satisfactory investigation or a clear official explanation, the statement added.
