Diannah Paramour arouses an Australian Tamil Tiger Nest, Mid-2015

Michael Roberts

Diannah Paramour is a lady in her sixties who sees herself as “a humanitarian” and an Aussie patriot vehemently opposed to all forms of terrorism nesting within the Australian continent. Arising from circumstances that I have yet to fully decipher,[1] the following sequence of events unfolded in mid-2015:

• Paramour took umbrage in May 2015 at the display of an LTTE flag at an Australian institution (see image of Geelong Trades Union Building below) and
• When she discovered that a Tamil organisation was holding a public meeting at the Springvale Town Hall in Melbourne on the 18^thMay 2015 in association with the Australian Trades Union to mark the “genocide” of the Sri Lankan Tamil people, she used her own resources to fly there[2] and attend the meeting with her daughter Caterina as companion.
• After watching and listening to the speeches and dramatic performances watched by an audience of circa 450 at the Town Hall, she was aroused by the display of a Tamil Tiger flag alongside the Australian flag and challenged the performance by walking up to the front and displaying the Sri Lankan flag and some pictorial illustrations of LTTE atrocities.[3]
• She was immediately surrounded by a lot of men and became the victim of a scuffle where the yanking and jostling left her injured. In a recent email she elaborates upon these consequences: “One fracture right hand when the man bent my hand after grabbing it and holding it tightly backwards, he didn’t let go even when I called out ‘you’ve broken my finger’ because I felt a snap and sharp pain in my little finger so I assumed it was my finger. Broken rib left side caused by two men pushing me back against the stage. Tendon left shoulder broken trying two times to hold onto my flag, as I pulled back my flag the first time his second successful attempt was more violent. My bones are easy to break, so is my heart but not my duty to serve Sri Lanka, no one will break that” (email, 19 September 2015)
• Police had been called and she was taken to a nearby police station where she accused Tim Goodman (Secretary, Australian Trades Union, who was one of the organisers) of assault.

These are just the bare bones of the incident and more detailed information can be ascertained in her own account below and a Q and A session published by Shenali Waduge on 30 May 2015 (from way back in Lanka). There are other sequels however

• Paramour’s ire is up and she has launched a campaign against the Australian Tamil “terrorists” for misusing Australian hospitality by (a) mounting lone protest vigils in front of the Tasmanian Parliament in May and (b) the Victorian Parliament in Melbourne on [date unclear]. with a display booth as aide;[4]
• Writing letters to selected Australian newspapers and websites
• Fashioning a Memorandum entitled “Duplicity” as a Newsletter dated 11 June 2015 for locktonknows@gmail.com
• Using Facebook in June 2015 to present her main demand …. with a dramatic image of herself in caricature

 Paramour took this picture in early May 2015, but indicates that the flag had been raised three weeks earlier — and this scenario appears to have been one of the incendiaries for her presence at the LTTE protest gathering  that cp marked the defeat of the LTTE conceived by some Tamil as “genocide”

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BAN THE RAISING OF LTTE TERRORIST FLAG …  see https://www.change.org/p/australian-government-ban-the-raising-of-ltte-terrorist-flag

Diannah paramour Australia

• Initiating a PETITION on web on 15 June 2015 against the display of the LTTE flag: see see https://www.change.org/p/australian-government-ban-the-raising-of-ltte-terrorist-flag

 Policemen chatting with one of the “Tamil elders”  (Pic by Paramour). Paramour says that “this snap was taken in the foyer around 6pm BEFORE…..the service began. I was still in the foyer talking with Ron Guy when police came in. The younger ones ran out the back and returned with this man who was angry.  He soon calmed down when police told him ‘we are here for you”.” (email note, 18 Sept. 2015)  In another note of clarification, she says: “The police arrived at the time it was listed to start. The Tamils were not happy with the police being there. I was told by greater Dandenong council that police attendance was standard practice. The police told me in the foyer when I asked what they were doing there he said ‘we are here in case the Buddhist turn up to protest’.”

 Tim Goodman–located via Google by Paramour, who  also says that he “is definitely one of them men who assaulted me.” 

A recent email note from Diannah Paramour  says “Victorian Police informed me this week that I will not be charged with disrupting a religious service”( 18 Sept. 2015). In information sent earlier, Paramour noted that she asked and received permission to take photographs, but was the only one commanded to desist from taking pictures after the contretemps.  She now has additional complaints: (A) her Sri Lankan flag was seized by a Tamil elder and she has lost it: (B) the police made no effort to recover this flag for her; (C) and did not arrest the ‘gentlemen’ who pushed and threatened her.

Diannah Paramour’s protest outside Tasmania’s Parliament House in Hobart. Note the bandaged hand: ra esult of the fracture suffered during the struggle at Geelong Trades Union Building.

NOTES

[1] I also intend  presenting a Comment on her Position.

[2] Email note to Roberts, July 2015.

[3] These will be presented in s my subsequent essay.

[4] So too these images.