The Eastern University's student union has condemned the arrest of four Tamils in Trincolmalee and called for their immediate release.
On Sunday, four Tamils - Kamaleswaran Themila, Kamaleswaran Vijitha, Kalirajah Sujani and the Tamil National People's Front Muttur organiser, Hariharakumar - were arrested for distributing kanji as part of commemorations to mark 15 years since the Tamil genocide. Video footage shows Sri Lankan police officers dragging some of the women during the arrest.
"The rights of the Tamil people are being denied by the Sri Lankan government and there has not been any justice for the Tamils who were killed 15 years ago," the union said in a statement.
The union called on the international community to condemn Sri Lanka's actions and put pressure on the authorities to secure their immediate release.
Sri Lankan police officers have been blocking the distribution of kanji, particularly in the East, this week as part of their ongoing crackdown on Tamil memorialisation.
