NST (16/07/10) - News vendor's true grit

KUALA LUMPUR: He started selling the Straits Times and Straits Echo when it was just five sen a piece on a bicycle.

V. Murugeson, one of the country's pioneer newspaper vendors, who died on Sunday at the age of 100, started to distribute both papers around Lumut, Perak, in the late 1940s when he realised that no one was doing it.

His son, Ipoh Barat member of parliament M. Kulasegaran said his father, who was initially a rubber tapper, spotted an opportunity to improve the family's livelihood.

"At that time, no one was distributing papers, so my father took it up as he spoke English.

"His job transformed our lives. We had all kinds of newspapers and magazines in the house for us to read."

He said everyday, Murugeson would make the journey to the Batu Gajah railway station by bus to pick up about 100 to 200 newspapers, which he would later distribute to the people of Lumut.

The enterprising Murugeson even roped in his five sons, including Kulasegaran, to help to distribute the papers when they reached the age of eight or nine.

"We will go house-to-house to distribute newspapers and collect the subscription in the mornings before school. After school, we have to help out as well, either selling ice- creams, lottery tickets or nasi lemak made by our mother."

As business improved, Murugeson set up a stall to sell newspapers and magazines before moving into a shop in the 1960s.

The shop, called Murugan Store, is still in operation in Lumut. It is currently run by Kulasegaran's youngest brother, M. Sethupathi.

Kulasegaran said his father had a "military rule" -- he insisted that the newspapers had to be delivered regardless of the weather.

"Once, I had to deliver newspapers to the house of the Lumut district police chief. Not only was the house located on top of a hill, there were fierce dogs as well.

"I was chased and fell down the hill, injuring my arms and legs.

"After I recovered, he asked me to go back again to deliver the papers."

Looking back, Kulasegaran said starting work young helped him to pick up skills like book-keeping and learning to deal with a variety of people, traits that became useful later in his career as a politician.

Although his father was a staunch MIC supporter, Kulasegaran said he was open about him in DAP.

"Deep in his heart, he would have preferred us (to be in MIC) but he realised we need to follow a new path."

If Sri Lanka has nothing to hide, allow UN panel to investigate

United Nations Secretary-General decision to appoint Marzuki Darusman to head. A panel to investigate alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka was most appropriate. Marzuki was a former Attorney General of Indonesia.

The setting up of the panel is most deserving as it is said over 25thousand have either being salutered, tortued or just killed just because they were Tamils a minority in Sri Lanka.

Since the early 80's the Tamils in particular have been at odds with the Sinhala majority as they were racial discrimination in all aspect of government policies and treating the Tamils as 3rd class citizens.

Thus when the Tamils have no hope a group under the leadership of Prabakaran decided a military solution is the answer to Singhala's race supremacy polices.
It's now said there more Sri Lanka Tamils outside Sri Lanka then in Sri Lanka. Why if not for the dangerous discriminatory polices against the minority Tamils.

In 2009 the Sri Lankan army in the pursuit of the LTTE killed thousands of innocent Tamils. Some of this killing have been properly documented including live videos of the incident.
Three days a ago thousands of Sri lanka's Singala demonstrated against the proposed probe by the UN panel in Colombo. The UN office in colombo was surrounded and its office was closed down. Ban the secretary general of UN said" they find it unacceptable that sri lankan authorities have failed to prevent the disruption of the normal functioning of UN's officies in Colombo as a result of unruly protests organized and led bt a cabinet Minister of the Government"
The minister is a stooge of the Sri Lanka Goverment
We call Sri Lanka Government to stop acting against UN personal and instead cooperate with the panel.

If Sri Lanka has nothing to hide why then refuse to cooperate with a Independent world body like UN.

Why is India quiet on this issue? Are they supporting Sri Lanka to sweep all its alleged war crimes under the carpet?
The world cannot and should not pretend that innocent thousands were killed during the civil war. Crimes against humanity must be punished.

We urge UN to move a special resolution to refer Sri Lanka to be investigated by the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court(ICC).
If investigations then reveal that there were commission of war crimes, genocide, ethnic cleansing or crimes against humanity then any one involved should be charged at the ICC.
President Basheer of Sudan is been investigated by ICC but as he has refuced to co-operate the ICC has issued a warrant of arrest against him. he is now isolated as he faces arrest if he ventures to any country.

M.Kula Segaran