Staff protest at Eastern University

[TamilNet, Friday, 13 July 2001, 21:36 GMT]
Academic and non-academic staff of the Eastern University picketed the campus at Vanthaarumoolai in Batticaloa on Friday morning. The picketing, held for an hour, was in protest of the closure of the University of Jaffna and the arrest by government soldiers of student leader, Mr.Thivyan.

The Federation of University Unions, which organized the protest, issued a handbill condemning the government's acts of intimidation of universities. "It is a violation of the tradition of independence of universities," the hand bill said.

Sri Lanka Army soldiers were deployed outside the campus during the protest. A local journalist, who was at the site, was questioned by the troops regarding his sources.

Meanwhile, students of the Vavuniya campus of Jaffna University continued their boycott of lectures for the fifth day Friday. Non-academic staff also took part in the protest in solidarity with the students.

(Photo:TamilNet)