Jaffna undergrads complain of SLA intimidation

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 25 June 2003, 12:38 GMT]
Jaffna University Students Union Tuesday complained to the regional office of the Human Rights Commission (HRC) of Sri Lanka that Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers intimidated its members when they were making preparations for the Pongu Thamil, which is to be held Friday at the Jaffna Medical faculty premises, sources said.

On Tuesday SLA soldiers who were patrolling the road where the Jaffna medical faculty is located had stopped their vehicles and got down. Thereafter they walked along the road and entered the area where undergrads were involved in preparatory works for the Pongu Thamil event and started threatening the students according to a complaint to the Jaffna HRC regional co-ordinator Mr.Ruwan Chandrasekara.

On receipt of the complaint HRC regional co-ordinator went to the site but SLA soldiers left the scene before his arrival, sources said.

Jaffna civil sources said SLA soldiers who patrol the Jaffna town and its suburbs are engaged in propaganda to dissuade public from attending the Pongu Thamil celebration to be held June 27.

The International Students' Association of Tamil Eelam (ISATE) stated in a letter issued to media that their president, S. Kajendran, has recently escaped from an assasination-attempt.

A handbill printed in Tamil language in the name Jaffna Public was distributed in Jaffna appealing to the people not to participate in the Pongu Thamil event. The SLA is allegedly behind this propaganda with the connivance of para military Tamil groups, civil sources said.

The theme of the Pongu Thamil event is " We want our land".