Protest march held in Killinochchi condemning SL government

[TamilNet, Thursday, 21 September 2006, 21:59 GMT]
Hindu and Christian religious dignitaries of the Vanni district organised a peaceful protest march Thursday around 3.30 p.m condemning the Sri Lanka Government's (GoSL) for the closure of the A-9 route to Jaffna peninsula pushing its people to the brink of starvation and calling for the release of Rev. Jim Brown, catholic priest and his assistant who were reported disappeared after last being seen at the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) check point at Allaipiddy one month ago, said sources from Killinochchi.



People from all walks of life attending this event blamed the Sri Lanka Armed forces and their paramilitary groups stationed in the Jaffna peninsula for the extra-judiciary killings and the obstructing the international non-government organisations (INGO)from providing humanitarian assistance to the suffering people in the North.

The closure of the A9 road to Jaffna is an unofficial economic embargo on the people of the North depriving their basic needs, the organisers said in their speeches.

Christian priests of the Mullaitivu-Killinochchi Diocese, the Hindu religious dignitaries and hundreds of people took part in this protest demonstration carrying placards with slogans, "Stop starving people to death', 'Stop ruining the education of Tamil students' and 'Re-open the A-9 road immediately".



The protest demonstration organised by the religious dignitaries of the Vanni District began with Inter-Religious prayer at the Killinochchi St. Teresa church around 4.00 p.m led by Rev. Leo Armstrong marched on to the office of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) in Killinochchi where Vanni Diocese Rev.Fr.A.F.Bennet handed over a memorandum to SLMM resident representative Lars Bremen. Vattakachchi parish priest Rev. Rock spoke at the event, said sources.

Copies of the memeoranda were handed over to the Killinochchi District Government Agent to be forwarded to the President of Sri Lanka and other relevant authorities.