2ND LEAD (Adds video)

Tamil protests in North strengthen on February 04 Black Day

[TamilNet, Saturday, 04 February 2017, 18:36 GMT]
The occupying Colombo was staging a parade for the first time in front of Jaffna District Secretariat to mark the so-called independence day of genocidal Sri Lanka in Jaffna this year. NPC Councillors M.K. Shivajilingam and Ananthy Sasitharan organised a protest with the participation of fellow struggle-centric NPC councillors, civic members and families of enforced-disappeared after 18 May 2009. The SL Police came with a stay order from Jaffna Magistrate S. Satheestharan, who had written in Tamil that the stay order was about a protest disturbing the public on A9 Road. However, the protest went ahead as planned, 300 meters away from the District Secretariat. The Tamil public in North and East refused to celebrate the so-called Independence Day and have proclaimed through various protests that February 04 will continue to remain a Black Day as far as the Tamils are concerned.

The protest was not intended to block the public traffic on A9 Road and it was in fact the SL Police, which was blocking the roads, NPC Councillor Kandiah Sarveswaran confronted the SL police officers.



“It is our fundamental right to stage the protest along the road side in a peaceful manner and Tamils declare that this day is a Black Day,” Sarveswaran told the police officers. Tamils were being ruled as a colonial people by Colombo after the British handed over a unitary system in the hands of Sinhala politicians in South, he said. As a people continuously subjected to colonial rule, Tamils have a moral right to mark February 04 as a Black Day, Sarveswaran said.

The SL Police and SL military intelligence operatives were taking photos and videos in a threatening manner.

An SL police officer went on record admitting that the police and the military were separately recording to pass information to their top intelligence brass.

NPC Councillor Ananthy Sasitharan, who represents enforced disappeared women and Shanmugalingam Shageevan, a civic member who represents the uprooted people from Valikaamam North, were confronting the alleged surveillance operatives.

Mr Shivajilingam and Mrs Ananthy Sasitharan said they were not informed in advance about any stay order and proceeded with the protest, which drew around 200 participants near the District Secretariat in Jaffna.

Sivapatham Ilankothai, a grand mother from 7th Ward of Veala'nai West condemned SL Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe for a recent remark in which he was implying that the missing people were all either dead or gone to abroad.

Ilankothai's daughter Sasikala and her entire family consisting of son-in-law S. Parameswaran and three children Pratheepan (10), Piriyaalini (9) and Piraiyalahan (6-months old baby) were handed over to the SL Army at Vadduvaakal on 18 May 2009 in front of eyewitnesses. They were all taken away. The hand over took place after SLA announced general amnesty to those who were former LTTE members, she said. There are hundreds more. Ilankothai was crying at the protest and was blaming the Human Rights Council in Geneva for failing to deliver proper justice to Eelam Tamils.

In the meantime, protests were staged in Vavuniyaa and in Mullaiththeevu in support of uprooted people of Keappaa-pulavu and Puthuk-kudiyiruppu in the Mullaiththeevu district.

On Saturday, SL Minister Rishad Bathiyutheen was trying to negotiate with the protesters in Keappaa-pulavu to contain their protest. But, the protesters continued their campaign for 5th day.

SL Air Force at Keappaa-pulavu was also harassing the protesters by increasing surveillance and by harassing the protesters by turning off lights randomly in front of the SLAF base.

Chronology: