Sinhala - Muslim student clash hospitalises 20 in East

[TamilNet, Friday, 04 October 2013, 06:01 GMT]
20 students, including 6 girls, were admitted for medical treatment at Chammaan-thu’rai hospital and SL police in Chammaan-thu’rai detained 41 students, following a clash between Sinhala and Muslim students at the Faculty of Applied Sciences in the South Eastern University in Ampaa’rai district on Thursday. Sinhala students opposing the election of a Muslim as leader in the student union elections held last month, resulted in the clash, informed sources said. The University administration phrased the incident as a clash between two groups of 2nd and 3rd year students and that the faculty would remain closed until further notice. The University is situated at Oluvil in Ampaa’rai district.

Medical officer at Chammaanthu’rai hospital YDM Aziz said 20 students were admitted with minor injuries at the hospital.

When the South Eastern University was started, many were hoping that it would be the centre for providing space for the Tamil-speaking Muslims of the island to come out with their own academic identity and leadership.

In the given context of the island, a Muslim becoming a student leader is not possible in any university other than the South Eastern University.

The dominant ones should be the dominant ones throughout the island and the others should be subordinates throughout the island, is the policy behind the genocidal State centred in Colombo.

After the end of Vanni war, the occupying Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) constructed a big base near the university premises. Abubucker Lebbai Ismail, the president of the mosque at Oluvil complained in 2010 that the militarisation was posing economic and cultural problems for the people in Oluvil.

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