Ketheeswaran Thevaraja, Anti Sand Mining activist in Sri Lanka, Portrait 13

Today's "portrait" is a short sequence of Thevaraja's pictures by my 14 year-old son, Ben, whose preferred media is filmmaking. The song was chosen to honor Thevaraja who is wearing a John Lennon shirt in his photos. 

In late 2010, a young postal worker and environmentalist named Ketheeswaran Thevaraja led a social media campaign to reveal the illegal destruction of the sand dunes of Vadamaraadchi in Sri Lanka. As indicated in his photos, the sand excavation in the area was damaging the ecosystem and creating sea water seepage and land loss in the nearby villages. The companies harvesting the sand were backed by the Sri Lankan military.  In addition to the Facebook posts, Thevaraja was working with Sri Lankan media outlets to expose the information, and it is believed that this is the reason he was killed. 

On new year's eve of 2010, several members of the S.R. paramilitary shot and killed Thevaraja in his home.

Sources:

http://www.srilankaguardian.org/2012/01/brutal-murder-of-environmentalist-and.html

http://www.globaltamilnews.net/GTMNEditorial/tabid/71/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/76484/language/en-US/SL-military-backed-sand-mining-irreversibly-destroys-environment-in-Jaffna.aspx

http://www.humanrights.asia/news/forwarded-news/AHRC-FST-001-2011