Paramilitary marches civilians in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 December 2007, 11:43 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) operated paramilitary Pillyan Group Monday noon forced hundreds of civilians from Kathirave'li and Vaakarai areas that were recently captured by the SLA in the East, into government operated buses, taken from depots in Polonnaruwa, Batticaloa and Vaazhaichchenai, to forcibly participate in a march held at Batticaloa city with the protection of SLA, Special Task Force (STF) and the Police. Meanwhile, the federation of non governmental organisations in Batticaloa was instructed by the paramilitary to call its members to march against the lack of humanitarian assistance by the GoSL. But, the motive of the march was changed by the paramilitary at the last moment.

NGO officials complained that they were initially forced to issue pamphlets and call their members to march against the lack of humanitarian assistance from Colombo.

But, when the march was held from Batticaloa city towards District Secretariat Monday noon, their participants were forced to take forward a memorandum issued in the name of "General Public," supporting the Sri Lanka Army's "liberation" of Kudumpimalai (Thoppigala).

The memorandum was further formulated against the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and said they were not representatives of the "public" as they have "not cared to acquire humanitarian assistance from the Government of Sri Lanka". There was a "Political Vaccum," the paramilitary memorandum, handed over to Batticaloa District Additional GA, K. Mahesan, had stated, according to the NGO officials.

The participants were forced to utter slogans against the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE), the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) by the paramilitary operatives Jeyam and Vairavan who led the enforced march.

Civilians brought from different directions were ordered to march 2-3 km on Colombo Road, Trincomalee Road and from Kalladi Bridge on Kalmunai Road towards Batticaloa city and later to the District Secretariat.

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