News18 Kerala reported that central intelligence agencies received a tip-off regarding a conspiracy to sabotage the Vizhinjam port project. Following this, the bank account details of a local ‘leader’ and his wife belonging to the Vizhinjam Samara Samiti (agitation committee) were scrutinized. Investigators found that an amount of Rs.11 crore had arrived in one account from abroad. As suspected, the dark hands of urban Naxals appeared behind this case.
It is alleged that these amounts were used to vandalize the project. Having instigated the ordinary fisherfolk in the region, the Latin Catholic Church spearheads the ‘agitation.’ They have allegedly used such funds that have attracted anti-social elements from far and near. Goons have blocked trucks carrying raw materials, entered the site, and were last observed dragging police barricades and flinging them into the Arabian sea.
Police are seen popping peanuts and watching such proceedings. One cannot blame them alone since it is believed that they have orders to stay put. When the estimated losses reached Rs.100 crores, contractor Adani approached the Kerala high court many weeks ago. The court ordered the communist government to throw out the agitators or call in the central armed forces. Kerala government did neither, and now the losses amount to Rs.150 crores and rising.
The Chinese lobby that controls Sri Lanka’s Colombo port is suspected to be behind the Vizhinjam strike. Central agencies are monitoring the visitors arriving at the protest site, tracking what is being preached and suspects are being photographed. The Home Ministry is taking the protests very seriously as it is a matter of national interest.
The Chinese group donates money to churches in Colombo. The funds are then transported to Dubai. From there, the faithful of the Latin Archdiocese bring the cash and pass it over to the Latin Church agitation committee leaders. Hindupost had reported the same when a video surfaced where believers from Dubai were seen handing over vast sums of money to the suspect anti-national Latin priests.
A campaign led by the Thiruvananthapuram Latin Catholic Church In front of the Secretariat was also attended by Elisa, a volunteer worker from the Sisters Hospitallers, a Catholic organization. They came under the guise of working with the Trivandrum Social Service Society (TSSS), an FCRA NGO receiving funds from foreign contributors. It is run by none other than the top priests of the Latin church.
TSSS is a Non-Governmental Organization with a registered office at the Latin Archbishop’s house compound near Vellayambalam in Thiruvanathapuram. Sisters Hospitallers of the Sacred Heart of Jesus operates from Fathimapuram, just 30 km north of Vizhinjam. It is a shady conversion center that preys on weak and mentally challenged women.
Meanwhile, central agencies monitored the bank transactions of Samara Samiti leader Joseph Vijayan and his wife, Aleyamma Vijayan. Joseph Vijayan, alias AJ Vijayan is the elder brother of controversial Kerala transport minister Anthony Raju. The intelligence bureau found that foreign contributions have reached the account since 2017. There are preliminary indications that the Foreign Exchange Act (FCNRA) was violated.
Large amounts were transferred in the name of Sakhi, a non-governmental organization headquartered at Vanchiyur Convent Road, Thiruvananthapuram. Aleyamma is the founder and currently serves as the Secretary of Sakhi. A portion of the funds received by Sakhi (supposedly for women’s empowerment) was diverted for anti-national purposes.
It is feared that the current revelations are just the tip of the iceberg. Central agencies are camping at Vizhinjam and collecting further evidence. Coastal Watch, an organization, headed by Joseph in Kerala, is also under surveillance.
The central agencies have received information that special ‘training’ classes were organized to mislead the fisherfolk even before July 20. That was when the ‘agitation’ began in earnest. Construction work at the site has been stalled for more than 100 days. These anti-nationals began by citing various demands but now claim they will not withdraw unless the whole project is abandoned!
A covert operation was underway to push former Thiruvananthapuram Latin Catholic archbishop Maria Soosa Pakiam to participate in a hunger strike in front of the secretariat. Pakiam unofficially retired due to ailing health in February 2022. Pope Francis later officially accepted his resignation and named another priest, Thomas Netto, as the new archbishop of Trivandrum.
In early September, Pakiam and Netto participated in a day-long ‘relay’ hunger strike at the Vizhinjam port entrance. They were joined by other priests like Christudas, Eugene Pereira, and Freddy Solomon from neighboring districts. Suspiciously, Thiruvananthapuram Imam VP Suhaib Moulavi inaugurated the event, raising a few eyebrows. Following the arrest of top terrorists associated with the Popular Front of India, an enraged Moulavi asked the Islamic community to join hands and face the government, especially the central government.
More importantly, the fourth round of discussions was held by a cabinet sub-committee with the Samara Samiti and the Latin church authorities but failed to resolve the issue back then. The cabinet sub-committee was headed by transport minister Raju and Samara Samiti Convenor Fr. Theodosius D’Cruz represented the Latin church. To believe that Raju honestly represented the state of Kerala while his brother Joseph worked against it defies common logic.
In late September, videos emerged of a Latin catholic priest speaking on stage at the protest site. He said that the Ruler of Dubai had noted their protests and sent a messenger with a HUGE (emphasized) amount as a donation. Criminal pastors led by Saju Roldon had also threatened to burn the Vizhinjam police station if the protestors were arrested. Now, the central agencies are verifying those videos and are looking for the ones who arrived with an envelope filled with cash.
In 2013, Joseph tried his best to delay the project even further. Hiding its strategic importance to the nation, Joseph said constructing the Vizhinjam International Seaport project would significantly change the district’s shoreline. Back then, he was a specialist in ‘coastal concerns’ and claimed that the environmental impact assessment does not fully address the essential issue of coastal erosion. He added that the project would take 30 years to complete. Urban Naxals associated with The Hindu took this message and spread it far and wide.
In August, Joseph pulled in more leftist propaganda channels like the now disgraced The Wire and The New Indian Express (TNIE). The Wire claimed that accidents have become more frequent, and three fishermen lost their lives last year due to the turbulence in the sea! As usual, they backed up such allegations without an iota of evidence.
TNIE declared that Adani Vizhinjam Port Ltd appointed the Chennai-based National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) to study erosion on the northern coast of the port from 2015 to 2021. TNIE added that Joseph is a former researcher with the International Ocean Institute. These are tall unsubstantiated claims that only publications like TNIE can come up with.
Another one who jumped in to create more confusion is The Telegraph Online. They mentioned the same story about Joseph and added another ‘researcher’ Sindhu Maria Napolean. Joseph’s Facebook page says he ‘studied’ Ocean Governance at International Ocean Institute.
NIOT ‘discovered’ coastal erosion has happened on the northern side (Poonthura, Valiyathura, Shanghumugham) and sea accretion in the south (Poovar, Adimalathura) since the work on the project started. Common sense tells us this is only natural when building such a huge port and is usually considered collateral damage. The initial agreement was signed based on such projections, and the Kerala state government agreed to compensate the victims living on these coastlines.
Joseph, (he is also the secretary of another NGO called the National Fishworkers Forum) approached the National Green Tribunal (NGT), challenging its earlier environmental clearance. The tribunal accepted the contention and ordered monitoring of the coast. It also appointed an independent organization to monitor every condition stipulated in the Environmental clearance and CRZ clearance granted by the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoEF).
Uncontent, Joseph and his bunch of anti-nationals resorted to violence. He only had one aim: to prevent the port from coming up. Joseph, his wife, and a whole group of cronies now stand exposed. Vizhinjam is too vital for logistics, and the center must intervene.
Vizhinjam port is against the interests of some foreign countries, including China and Sri Lanka. Though it was approved in 2011, actual work began in 2015 after the National Green Tribunal (NGT) gave it the go-ahead. Today, the Chinese-owned Hambantota port in Sri Lanka is estimated to handle 90 percent of the Bharatiya transshipment cargo. This adds up to Rs.2,000 crores in lost revenue for Bharat annually.
