The cover of Thoarai by Yatharthan. Image: Yatharthan
Sri Lanka Customs in Jaffna has refused to release copies of Thoarai, a Tamil novel by the writer Yatharthan, pending approval from the Ministry of Defence and the Department of Government Information, in the latest case of Tamil books being held by the state.
Yatharthan, whose real name is Piratheep Kunaradnam, went to the customs division at the Jaffna Post Office on Thursday to collect 32 copies of the novel, published by Kalachuvadu in Tamil Nadu, which had been ordered by readers in Sri Lanka, JDS reported .
In an account published on his website , the author said customs staff opened the package and searched the book for particular words, flagging terms such as "field bike" and "army man". A Tamil officer was then called in, and the officials told him the books could only be released with approval from the Ministry of Defence.
He said he told them the novel contained nothing that incited ethnic hatred or promoted armed groups, and offered to wait while they read a few chapters, but the officials did not engage. They said two copies would be sent to the Ministry of Defence, which they said rarely responds, and suggested he travel to Colombo himself to pursue it.
A detention receipt issued by Sri Lanka Customs on 22 October lists 32 books of Thoarai and gives the reason for the detention as pending approval of the Ministry of Defence and the Department of Government Information. It warns that goods not cleared within a month of detention will be dealt with under the Customs Ordinance, and that the owner is liable for a storage fee of Rs 50 per parcel for each day they are held.
The Sri Lanka Customs detention receipt issued to the author in Jaffna on 22 October. Image: Yatharthan
Yatharthan said he had collected copies of his earlier novel, Nakulaathai, from the same office in 2022 without difficulty. He said the government had set out no clear legal framework for what writing it considers a threat to national security, and criticised the silence of much of the Tamil and wider Sri Lankan literary community.
Yatharthan noted that books by the Tamil writers Shobasakthi and Theepachelvan Piratheepan had also been blocked recently, prompting a protest, and had still not been released.
This month the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka ruled that Sri Lanka Customs had violated Theepachelvan's fundamental rights by holding two of his books for more than six months, finding that state institutions treated them with suspicion because they were written in Tamil, and called for all copies to be released "forthwith".
Theepachelvan Piratheepan. File photograph
Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.
Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view
We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.
Please use below email to contact us:
Loading comments…