Four hunger-striker TPPs admitted to Anuradhapura hospital

[TamilNet, Sunday, 23 September 2018, 18:34 GMT]
Four of the hunger-striking Tamil Political Prisoners have been admitted to the public hospital in Anuradhapura as their health conditions have worsened. Two TPPs who had been admitted to the attached hospital at Anuradhapura prison earlier were transferred to the general hospital on Friday. Two more TPPs were rushed to the same hospital on Saturday. Rights activist Ganesh Velayutham who visited the fasting TPPs told TamilNet that all the prisoners were in bad condition as they were languishing for more than nine years in the prison. The TPPs are heavily traumatised due to the depression caused by the dilly-dallying by the occupying Colombo's rulers. All of them have staged hunger-strikes four times before, and that they are not fit for a lengthy hunger-strike, he said.

Thangavel Nirmalan and Sivasubramaniyam Thillairajah were the two prisoners transferred to the hospital on Saturday.

Rasapallan Thavarooban and Sooriyakanthi Jeyachandran had been already transferred to the hospital from the prison hospital.

Despite their poor health condition, the fasting TPPs were considering to step up their hunger-strike with dangerous “dry” strike, with no intake of water, Mr Velayuatham warned.

In the meantime, protests have gained momentum in support of the TPPs across the districts of North.

A large protest was staged in Vavuniyaa supporting the hunger-strikers on Thursday.

K. Kader Masthan, a Tamil-speaking Muslim parliamentarian from Vavuniyaa, who is a deputy minister in the SL regime, took part in the protest.

TNA Parliamentarians Mavai Senathirajah and Selvam Adaikkalanathan were also seen attending the protest.

The Tamil National People’s Front, Jaffna University students, grassroots and civil groups are mobilising to strengthen the demands of the TPPs.

Tamil civil groups in Jaffna that staged a protest on Friday have called for another rally in front of Jaffna District Secretariat on Monday. They are also planning to go on a continuous protest by laying siege to the District Secretariat.



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