NE volunteer teachers to continue sit-in protest

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 05 March 2003, 18:49 GMT]
The sit-in-protest by several hundred Tamil medium volunteer teachers from the districts of Batticaloa and Amparai in front of the provincial education ministry in Trincomalee continued for the third day on Wednesday.

The Batticaloa-Amparai Districts Volunteer Teachers' Association launched this campaign Monday demanding that they should be granted permanent appointment as approved by the previous government.

Parliamentarian Mr.Sampanthan meets protesting volunteer teachers, Wednesday evening.

Trincomalee district parliamentarian, Mr.R.Sampanthan, and National list parliamentarian, Mr.K.Thurairetnasingham, visited the protesting volunteer teachers and told them that they contacted the Treasury Secretary Mr.Charita Ratwatte over the telephone Wednesday and explained the situation.

Mr.Sampanthan further said he had sent a copy of the letter faxed to the Prime Minister to the Treasury Secretary at the latter's request for further action.

"There is no place for second thought in granting permanent appointment to North-East volunteer teachers as the Cabinet of the previous regime had approved it," Mr.Sampanthan told the volunteer teachers.

A representative of the Batticaloa -Ampara District Volunteer Teacher Federation told the visiting parliamentarians that the teachers had decided to continue the sit-in-protest until they received permanent appointment letters.