Vadamaradchy-wide student boycott begins

[TamilNet, Monday, 22 January 2007, 16:06 GMT]
More than 15000 students of the schools in Vadamaradchy district began an indefinite boycott of classes on Monday demanding immediate release of two students from Point Pedro Hartley College and Velayutham Maha Vidyalaym abducted recently, student leaders at schools said.

Prakalathan, a student at the GCE Advanced level class in Hartley College, and Jeyan, a student of Velayutham Maha Vidyalaym were recently abducted by unknown men.

The students have been organizing protests and boycott of schools for the past one week.

The Vadamaradchy Tamil Students union in a communiqué issued to the media on Monday stated that if no constructive action is taken to get these students released before Friday, the boycott will be continued indefinitely and all activities of the government departments across Jaffna peninsula will be affected from next week onwards.

Meanwhile, the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) stationed in the area have taken steps to sabotage the students boycott and have issued special instructions to the education officials and the principals of the schools in Vadamaradchy to keep the schools open.

A large number of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops have been stationed in the vicinity of the schools.

The principals and teachers of the schools in the area had reported for duty on Monday, and with students abstaining, left the schools at 2:00 p.m.

SLA soldiers and collaborating paramilitaries in the Peninsula have abducted a number of undergraduates and high school students in the last several months. The recent escalation in number of abductions of civilians in Jaffna has once again created a sense of fear and helplessness among the residents.

However, the bold student actions reflect a sense of anger among students, parents of school age students said.

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