Joseph Pararajasingham - Attained Martyrdom on Christmas Eve 2005
Fatally shot at close range from behind by Sri Lankan Paramilitary inside St Mary’s church 
Until now no one has been charged for the murder of Maamanithar Joseph Pararajasingham although his assassins are well known. The killers are freely roaming the streets with impunity only to perpetrate more atrocities against innocent civilians. Despite the fact that the names of the suspects were given to Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse and he is fully aware of the identities of the assassins, they have not been brought to justice.
The situation as it prevailed at the time of the assassination and now is no different except we now have Alan Rock, Adviser to the UN’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict adding his voice to what every one knew as ground reality: Speaking to CBC’s ‘Current’ program about his fact-finding mission to Sri Lanka and his assertion of clear and compelling evidence of (Sri Lankan) government complicity in the abduction of children by the Karuna Factionhe said “I found the atmosphere in the country to be extremely negative.” Sri Lankan police were “unreliable”, the army “unresponsive particularly to Tamil needs and complaints”, the courts “politicized”, the Human Rights Commission devoid of “resources”, “no one, no institutional body which will respond to human rights violations or protect the people. In that environment you have assassinations, abductions and bombings with no investigation. In places like Batticaloa there were young men walking down the street with AK47s with absolute impunity, who would shoot whoever they wanted to, with no follow up, no consequences, an environment which is terrifying.”
Our thoughts and prayers on this Christmas Day are with his grieving wife and family and with all the other families and dear ones of victims of
Usha S Sri Skanda Rajah., Dec 06.
Suffering children: Victims.