Jaffna Campus area tense, SLA attack injures worker

[TamilNet, Sunday, 18 December 2005, 14:14 GMT]
Rasaratnam Puhalasri (33) from Navaly South, an employee at an ice cream parlor at the Parameswara juntion was severly injured when Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops attacked civilians around the Jaffna campus areas following altercation between Jaffna campus students at the International Tamileelam Student Union offices near Parameswara junction at 5.30 p.m. Sunday. Residents said that troopers forced entry into Student Union offices to prevent a group of campus students from travelling to Punguduthivu, triggering confrontation.

Mr Puhalasiri was admitted to the Jaffna Teaching Hospital and undergoing surgery, sources said.

SLA has completely blocked civilian use of the 1 km stretch of Palaly road between Kantharmadam junction to Thirunelveli junction, sources said. Residents in these areas are confined to their houses and others who had ventured out earlier, unable to return to their residences in the affected areas, had to seek refuge at places of their relatives, sources said.

Members of Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) met with student officials at about 6.30 p.m. when student leaders accused the SLMM of the lack of effort in preventing SLA from attacking students exercising their right to travel and protest against army harassment.

SLA resumed attacking students after the SLMM left the Student Union offices, sources said.