Tamils protest against SL Government and SLA

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 15 August 2006, 20:13 GMT]
Tamil residents of Batticaloa and Amparai districts, observed a one day Hartal (general shutdown) and a day of mourning Monday to condemn the Sri Lanka Government and the Sri Lanka Army for discriminating and repressing the Tamils in the region, civil society sources in Batticaloa said. Hartal was also intended to draw the attention of the international community to the desperate plight of the Tamils in the East, the organisers of the Hartal said.


All activities came to a standstill in most areas of the two major districts as public participated widely in the Hartal which was called by Tamil National Alliance (TNA), said sources.

The protesters condemned the State armed forces for the aerial bombardment of residential homes, firing of artillery shells at residential areas and for blocking the passage of humanitarian aid to the Tamil people, Batticaloa sources said.

The demonstrators condemned the Sri Lankan Government for discriminating the Tamil people in the provision of humanitarian relief and other services. They also condemned the Government for tacitly allowing the state armed forces to massacre 15 Tamil and Muslim Action Against Hunger (ACF) aid workers in Mutur recently.

The police and Special Task Force (STF) troopers were present in large numbers at principal towns and other key centres.

Courts in the region adjourned the day’s cases for a later session and schools postponed the term exams for another day.