Jaffna IDPs begin fast unto death

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 04 February 2004, 07:18 GMT]
Two groups of persons demanding that they be allowed to resettle in their villages garrisoned by the Sri Lankan armed forces in Jaffna's Thenmaradchi and Valigamam North Divisions began fasting unto death Wednesday Sri Lanka's Independence Day. Twelve Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) began a fast unto death protest in front of the Valigamam North Divisional Secretary's office in Tellipalai from 8 a.m. Wednesday. A group of displaced farmers began a fast unto death in Chavakachcheri town Wednesday morning.

Protestors in Tellipalai turned back the Divisional Secretary and army troops who came to the DS office to hoist Sri Lanka's national flag to mark Independence Day in the morning.



Mr. Mavai Senathirajah, Tamil National Alliance MP for Jaffna visited the protestors in the morning. When he wanted to sit with the fasting IDPs, they told him that he should join them only if he could fast unto death along with them.

"We don't want him to use us for his cheap publicity stunts by sitting with us for a few hours to dupe the world that he is behind our protests", one of the protestors said. "The protestors also refused to let the MP address them. We are tired of the false promises of these politicians", one of them said.