Vanni TNA MPs fast, demanding Tamil detainees' release

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 March 2003, 02:19 GMT]
Three Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians Messrs Selvam Adaikalanathan, Raja Kuhaneswaran and Sivasakthi Anandan with hundreds of Tamil residents Thursday held a fasting campaign in front of the S.J.V.Chelvanayakam statue in Mannar town Thursday from morning till evening demanding the immediate release of all Tamil political prisoners from prisons at Kalutara and elsewhere in the south, sources said.

Selvam Adaikalanathan

The TNA MPs also demanded that permanent appointment should be provided to one thousand volunteer teachers and the United National Front government should implement the ceasefire agreement it entered into with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) fully, sources said.

The fasting, which commenced eight in the morning, ended at 4 p.m. by the Mannar Government Agent Mr. V.Visuvalingam and religious leaders who gave drinks to those participated in the fast.

"The government should act without violating the ceasefire agreement," said parliamentarian Mr.Selvam Adaikalanathan at the conclusion of the fast addressing the gathering, sources said.

He said that Tamil political prisoners, who have been jailed under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, have been languishing in jails for years, and TNA wants to express solidarity with their hunger strike. The Government should release them immediately without further delay, he said.

Messrs Raja Kuhaneswaran and Sivasakthi Anandan also spoke.