MPGA pickets Jaffna district secretariat

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 December 2002, 19:38 GMT]
The Jaffna District Secretariat came to a standstill Monday due to the picketing by members of the Missing Persons Guardian Association (MPGA), demanding the government to expedite investigations into the Chemmani mass graves.

Human skeletons were recovered from Chemmani mass graves following the disclosure by an accused Sri Lanka Army soldier Corporal Rajapakse in 1998.

Since then the MPGA has been agitating the government to investigate the disappearance of hundreds of youths after being arrested by the Sri Lanka Army troops in Jaffna during 1996-1997.

Picketers blocked the main entrance of the Jaffna district secretariat preventing employees from attending their official duties.

The Jaffna Divisional Secretariat, which is located close to the District Secretariat, also did not function due to the picketing. The picketing campaign ended at about 4 p.m.

The MPGA sources said members of the association would continue the picketing Tuesday also.