Jaffna students organise prayers for Vanni

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 August 1999, 07:43 GMT]
There has been no movement on the dispute over where to open an access route to the Vanni, said the Colombo spokesman of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) - Mr. Harsha Gunawardene.

The sea route is the only route that is open at the moment and only seriously ill patients can be transported through that route, he said. Permission has not yet been granted for the transport of medicines and other essentials through this route, he added.

The ICRC will continue to organise the transport of seriously ill patients until another route is opened, he said further.

Elsewhere in Jaffna, the Association of Jaffna University Students is organising an inter faith evening prayer meeting.

The people in the Vanni must be saved from catastrophe, said a member of the association.

In the meantime, the Examinations Co-ordinator for Vanni, Mr. Pon. Sabapathy, said that protests staged by students in Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, Trincomalee, Jaffna and Colombo forced the government to conduct examinations in Vanni.

Examination entry cards were issued in the Vanni yesterday and the exams are being held today.

In Colombo, Mr. Douglas Devananda, MP and the leader of EPDP, an ex-militant organisation based in Colombo, has said that the government is ignoring civilians living in areas not controlled by the Sri Lankan army.