Students detained in Vavuniyaa camps to be used as showpieces

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 September 2009, 05:55 GMT]
The students from Ki’linochchi, Mullaiththeevu, Vavuniyaa and Mannaar districts, now detained in Sri Lanka Army (SLA) internment camps in Vavuniyaa, are to be taken like prisoners under military and police guard to participate in a Sports Meet that is to be held in Jaffna Alfred Duraippa Stadium from Friday for three days, sources in Jaffna said. The students thus brought to Jaffna will be taken back to the SLA internment camps in Vavuniyaa at the end of the sports meet, the sources added.

Civil society representatives in Jaffna condemned this move pointing that it is a cheap and malicious plan of the government to show the world that it is doing something good for the students detained in Vavuniyaa internment camps.

Instead of being allowed to return to their own places the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are forced lead a miserable life in the internment camps in Vavuniyaa. It is a shameful ploy of the government to use these children in a ‘tamasha’ held to show that all is well in the North of the country, the sources further said.

Meanwhile, Northern Province Governor, the former SLA Jaffna Commander, G. A. Chandrasiri and Minister Douglas Devananda are in Jaffna now to participate in the Sports Meet organized by the Northern Province Education Ministry.

Key officials of the Ministry of Education too are in Jaffna to participate in the sports meet.

Students from the five districts in Northern Province will be participating in the three day event, Northern Province Education Ministry sources said.