CTTU to support Vasavillan students boycott

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 01 February 2000, 00:11 GMT]
The Ceylon Tamil Teachers Union (CTTU) has issued a statement stating that its members would be forced to boycott schools along with students if the SLA failed to release the two pupils arrested and detained by them in Jaffna district.

Priya aged 16 is a student at Vasavilan Maha Vidyalayam. Her brother Vinoth aged 12 is a student at Urumpirai Chandrothaya Vidyalayam. Both were arrested when they were in their classrooms studying. The SLA also took their mother into custody with her children.

They are now in the custody of the SLA. Students in Jaffna district are now boycotting schools demanding the immediate release of these students and their mother.

Now the Ceylon Tamil Teachers Union has alerted its members to be prepared to join the boycotting campaign with students if the SLA failed to release the two pupils.

Mr.T.Mahasivam, General Secretary of the CTTU said in the statement that the boycott campaign would be extended to schools in other districts in the north east province if the authorities failed to release the arrested students.

The CTTU has condemned the arrests of two students while they were in their respective schools. According to Principals of these schools, these two students attended classes regularly.The security forces have failed to take into consideration the assurances given by the Principals that the two students were not involved in any criminal activities, CTTU statement said.