SLA attack on Tamil students is ‘additional’ issue to US embassy in Colombo

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 November 2012, 16:45 GMT]
A press release of the US embassy in Colombo on Thursday, while expressing concern about an attack on a reporter in Jaffna on Wednesday and searches without warrants of journalists, considered the entry of SL forces into the gents’ and ladies’ hostels of the Jaffna University and attack on the Tamil students inside the hostels on Tuesday and later when they peacefully demonstrated on Wednesday, as an “additional” issue. On Wednesday, while addressing the university students, a student representative asked, “where can we complain? There is nobody here for us to complain. Only the International Community should do something.”

Full text of the Thursday’s press release from the Embassy of the United States for Sri Lanka and Maldives in Colombo:

The United States Embassy in Colombo is concerned about recent threats to freedom of expression in Sri Lanka. The November 28 beating of a reporter in Jaffna, harassment by Government of Sri Lanka officials of independent media outlets, and searches without warrants of journalists all serve to stifle media freedom. Additionally, the Embassy is greatly concerned about reports of attacks on students in Jaffna. We call upon authorities to exercise restraint and respect peaceful demonstrations.

Chronology: