JSDO condemns fraternisation with SLA

[TamilNet, Thursday, 30 April 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The Jaffna District Students Organisation (JDSO) in a statement dated May 1, 1998 has exhorted the students of Jaffna, especially the girls, to preserve their dignity and not co- operate with the Sri Lanka Army (SLA), said sources in Jaffna.

The statement said that despite students having boycotted classes and expressed their approbation on the rape of Krishanthi Kumarasamy, rapes by Sri Lankan troops continued to take place in Jaffna.

Girls riding bicycles were subject to routine harassment at checkpoints, while students were unable to attend school or appear for examinations because of cordon and search operations, said the statement.

The Sri Lanka Government was trying its best to undermine the education of the Tamil people, and no one, not even the Tamil political parties, were interested in the future of the students said the statement.

The statement said that JDSO expected all students to co- operate with it in achieving the aims of the Organisation.

The JDSO has also issued a advisory note to female students on how they should conduct themselves in Jaffna. The statement urged young women not do anything that went against the traditional values of Tamil society.

It said that the JDSO knew about some Tamil women who were having relationships with Sinhala soldiers in Jaffna.

It deplored the behaviour where some young girls were seen flirting with soldiers and said this was the first step in the process whereby soldiers tricked their way into the confidence of young girls and later exploited it to their own advantage.

The statement gave the example of a policeman who had made a girl pregnant and later deserted her.

The statement said that only if a woman consented to a man's advances would those advances be fruitful.

It urged the women not to assist in the process of seduction by giving into the soldiers advances. The statement appealed to the young females of Jaffna not to fraternise with 'aliens'.

The JDSO concluded its statement asking the women not to do anything that would merit a public punishment.