‘Tiger’ Velupillai Kananathan ‘Mauls’ Onegi Obel

Feb 01, 2004

<b>QUESTION:</b> This Velupillai Kananathan fellow has been stirring up the hornet's nest for some time now. But TB, before you get into it, tell us who he is. <br><br><b>ANSWER:</b> Well all I know is, he hails from Sri Lanka and he is a Tiger at that -- you know from the same tribe as the Tamil

QUESTION: This Velupillai Kananathan fellow has been stirring up the hornet's nest for some time now. But TB, before you get into it, tell us who he is.
ANSWER: Well all I know is, he hails from Sri Lanka and he is a Tiger at that -- you know from the same tribe as the Tamil Tigers. The first I got to hear about him was when he caused controversy by claiming to be the Sri Lankan representative to Uganda. But as we all know he wasn't and that stunt tarnished his image.

People tell me he has a hot line to State House and that he is on first name terms with President Yoweri Museveni. Is that really true of is it just another one of his claims?
I don't have access to the State House switchboard so I really can't comment. And I don't think he is on first term names with President Museveni. Do you think Kananathan can dare call up State House and say something along the lines of: "Yoweri, I have a problem at AGOA and a man called Onegi-Obel. What can you do to help?"

Ah, I see your point. I have also been hearing stories that he used to go round to the various media house peddling a photograph of him meeting Museveni. And that every time there was a story about him he would insist that they use that picture. Is there any truth to it?
That I have heard and I can also testify that a photographer at a media house was given his marching orders when he tried to present that Museveni-Kananathan photograph as being a recent one. I also hear that State House complained about the over use of that picture whenever there was a story about Kananathan.

Sometime back he had trouble with the AGOA girls. What was that all about?
Well the girls complained they were not being paid. They also say they were locked up in the dormitories as well as being sexually harassed by the Sri Lanakan managers there.

But TB, I thought when the AGOA project was set up, the President sternly warned the nations men to keep away from the girls. Were the Sri Lankans not listening?
Well obviously not.

Getting back to current issues what exactly is behind his cat-fight with Onegi-Obel?
Like two prostitutes fighting over a customer, Onegi-Obel fired the first salvo when he told a parliamentary committee that Kananathan is incompetent. He went on to say the 56 textiles experts from Sri Lanka did not go to school and came from poor families.

Strong words! How did Kananathan respond? Did he box Obel, spit at him as he left his office, hurl abuse at him or sent him threatening SMS's?
Nothing as strong as that. He simply called him an armchair officer who should be sacked. I had hoped that the two men would come to blows because Onegi-Obel is the bigger of the two and two punches from him would send Kananathan reeling to the ground!

But you know what they say about those Tigers. Kananathan can decide to unleash some karate kicks that would injure Obel. Is there any chance of that happening?
Er not too sure but what we have seen from the two men is only round one. If the AGOA girls can go on strike for being sexually harassed, who knows what will happen tomorrow. We might just see Kananathan and his 56 inexperienced experts camping outside Parliament demanding that justice be taken against Obel!
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