Students boycott classes over Army presence

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 June 2002, 11:43 GMT]
The students of Point Pedro Hartley College and Methodist Girls College in Vadamaradchi division in Jaffna district Monday boycotted their classes demanding that the Sri Lanka Army should vacate their schools immediately as stipulated in the ceasefire agreement signed by the government and the Liberation Tigers.

Thousands of students were seen outside their schools with placards and shouting slogans against the continuing presence of the SLA in their school buildings.

"Students will launch a picketing campaign Tuesday in front of the headquarters of 52-4 Brigade of the SLA which is located in the Hartley College premises until they leave the school buildings. We will not allow any movement of security forces to and from the headquarters during the picketing," organizers of the campaign said.

Students of all schools in the Vadamarachchi division will participate in the picketing campaign, they said.