SLA pulls down Poopathy remembrance pandols

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 20 March 2002, 17:18 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers Wednesday stripped decorations and pulled down wood and paper memorials in the Kiran and Santhively, 26 kilometres north of Batticaloa, that were put up to mark the 14th death anniversary of 'Annai' Poopathy, the woman who fasted unto death in April 1988 in a protest against atrocities by the Indian army in the island's northeastern province.

The Poopathy memorial under construction at Navalady in Batticaloa. Annai Poopathy was buried at this site in 1988. (Photo:TamilNet)

The commemorations in honour of 'Annai' Poopathy began Tuesday in all the parts of the eastern district.

The district's government agent and the Batticaloa town's municipal commissioner refused last Friday 15 March to accede to the SLA's demand that they should forthwith stop the construction of a memorial for Annai Poopathy in a coastal suburb of the eastern town.

The officials say that the SLA has no right to stop work on the memorial under the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding between the LTTE and Colombo.

The memorial is being built by the sea in Navalady, three kilometres northeast of Batticaloa town. The people of the suburb that is constructing the memorial for the woman say the SLA has no right under the cease-fire agreement to stop the work.