EPC opposes affiliation of Trinco campus with universities in South

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 October 2013, 10:22 GMT]
The Eastern Provincial Council (EPC) has unanimously adopted a motion against the proposed affiliation of the Trincomalee campus of the Eastern University with the Rajarata University of Anuradhapura or with the Jayewardanapura University in Colombo. The motion was moved at EPC's September session by the Leader of the Opposition Mr C.Thandayuthapani, the group leader of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in the council. Mr R.Thurairatnam, TNA’s Batticaloa district councillor seconded the motion.

Mr.Thandayuthapani said that the Trincomalee campus has been functioning as a full-fledged campus of the Eastern University, currently located in Vanthaa'rumoolai in Batticaloa district since 15 June 2001.

Earlier, from 1993 the Trincomalee campus had been functioning as an Affiliated University College of the Eastern University, according to a gazette notification.

Tamil educationists in the North-East in the 1950s made a demand to establish a Tamil University in Trincomalee and the land had also been allocated for the construction of it. But it never materialized.

After the campus was established, there was a move initiated by the Colombo education authorities to affiliate the Trincomalee campus with the Rajarata University in Anuradhapura. However, due to the protest by the Trincomalee civil society, the matter was dropped.

Then again, another move has now been mooted by occupying Colombo's education ministry to affiliate the Trincomalee campus with the Colombo Jayewardenepura University.

The effort to affiliate the Trincomalee University Campus in the country of Eezham Tamils with the universities in the Sinhala provinces is viewed as a crucial step in the process of Sinhalicisation of Trincomalee that is now undertaken in an accelerated way by genocidal Colombo with the blessings of outside powers.

The Sinhalicisation process, taking place inside the Trincomalee University Campus itself has made news in recent times.

Annihilation of any form of territorial identity of Eezham Tamils is the thrust of the LLRC recommendations, the implementation of which have been made into an ‘international obligation’ by Washington and New Delhi.

New Delhi Foreign Minister’s reference in Jaffna last week on making Sri Lanka a ‘trilingual country’ implies making Tamils as subjugated minorities throughout the island. The statement also bares the outlook of New Delhi on Colombo’s structural genocide programmes such as the one now planned for the Trincomalee University Campus, said educational circles in Trincomalee.

The present EPC motion requests the SL Higher Education Ministry and the SL University Grants Commission not to affiliate Trincomalee campus with the Rajarata University or Jayewardanapura University.

The motion was unanimously passed with the support of councillors of the ruling United People Freedom Alliance (UPFA), and Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC).

Trincomalee campus is located 12 km from Trincomalee city, at Koa'nesapuri in Nilaave'li in 350 acres of land.

Currently, the Trincomalee campus comprises Faculty of Communication and Business Studies, Faculty of Applied Sciences and Faculty of Siddha Medicine.

More than five hundred students are enrolled in the campus.

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