No evidence that ragging took place - LTTE

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 29 January 2003, 17:13 GMT]
In a statement released to the public today, the LTTE political division in Jaffna said that they found no evidence of the ragging incident mentioned in a letter published in the Uthayan on January 16. The statement added that the publication of the letter has given rise to serious differences between the newspaper and the student community, and cautioned that everyone should be alert to identify elements that attempt to create disharmony among our people, sources in Jaffna said.

The statement titled, “Don’t give into forces attempting to divide our community,” said that although the reader’s letter in the Uthayan mentioned that a copy of that letter was sent to the LTTE’s political office, they received no such letter. But in the interest of the community and for a socially responsible press, “we investigated the matter but could not find any confirmation that the ragging incident mentioned in the letter took place.”

The statement continued, “No socially conscious person would want any ragging in the university. It is a commendable and progressive act on the part of the students who have resolved that no ragging would be tolerated. It is healthy and exemplary.

“At the same time, when there is social injustice, it is the duty of the community and the press to ask why. However, the press should also make efforts to confirm the veracity of stories. If the press has credible proof for news stories published, it will contribute to removing social injustices.

“We will not close our eyes to social injustices, and we will make every effort to eradicate social injustice from the community. We intend to conduct meetings and dialogues to solve problems appropriately.”