Occupying Colombo converts 6 Tamil colleges in North as quarantine centres for SL military

[TamilNet, Monday, 27 April 2020, 21:53 GMT]
Occupying Colombo’s military has started to convert a Tamil college of teachers in Jaffna and five other schools in the Northern province as Quarantine Centres for military personnel stationed in the region. Civil sources in the North have condemned it as a high-handed move disregarding the safety of Tamil civilians in the densely populated areas. The top brass of the Sinhala military has not consulted the provincial and local authorities. They have not even asked the provincial health director for advice. Nirosh Thiyagarajah, the Chairman of Valikaamam East Divisional Council, has condemned the conversion of Jaffna National College of Education (JNCOE) at Koappaay into a military QC.



The SL military is making decisions ignoring public concerns. These quarantine centres must be established in remote non-residential areas, Mr Thiyagarajah said.

The creation of quarantine centres in densely populated place and that too in the facilities used by thousands of students in the North without a second thought calls into question the intention behind these moves, Mr Thiyagarajah said.

He urged the Colombo government to put an end to such practices immediately.

The JNCOE complex is situated in a densely populated area as well as having eight houses within the premises.

The headquarters of the SL Army’s 512 Division, with plenty of lands, is located a few hundred meters away from the JNCOE.

The occupying SL military is also trying to transform Kaithadi Government Mixed Tamil School (GMTS), Reberg College in Chaavakachcheari in Jaffna district. There were also reports of SL military deciding to convert Azhakaapuri GMTS in Ki'linochchi district, Olu-madu Maha Viththiyaalayam in Mullaith-theevu district and a school in Peasaalai in Maanaar district, civil sources in Jaffna said.

The Tamil people have expressed strong reservations against the practice of SL military quarantining people from South in QCs in the North.

The latest developments in the South have raised concerns about the spread of coronavirus through SL Navy personnel.

Among the 95 infected among the SL Navy personnel in the Welisara camp in the Western province, 68 were in the base, and 27 were on leave.

In the meantime, there were also reports infections among SL military personnel, who were on leave in Sinhala colonisation scheme at Kokkaichchaan-ku'lam (Sinhalicised as Kelabogaswewa) in Vavuniyaa North.

More than 150,000 Sinhala soldiers are stationed in the North.

There have also been reports of cases in Welikande along Batticaloa - Polonnaruwa border and in Padawi Sripura in Trincomalee in the Eastern Province.

Chronology: