Student and staff from Jaffna University, a venerated institution amongst Sri Lanka’s Tamils, this week lead protests against occupying military force. The violence these invoked left several people hospitalised and tensions seething.
The most serious encounter was on Tuesday when, for the first time since the military onslaught on the northern city in 1995, the academic institution’s grounds were invaded by armed troops.
Jaffna hospital staff said it was the worst incident of its kind since the February 2002 ceasefire. One had been confirmed shot and wounded and 14 others were injured.
University employees and students fled as troops, firing their weapons, advanced into the grounds. Others took cover. Jaffna newpapers reported then the Army began attacking people on the ground.
‘‘A police vehicle arrived at the university’s Ramanathan Road, causing fear among students due to the previous day’s incidents,” Vice Chancellor of Jaffna University, S Mohanadas, said referring to the security forces confronting students enroute to protest the rape and murder of a Tamil women by suspected Sri Lanka Navy personnel.
‘‘The SLA began to open fire for no reason, making students defend themselves by throwing stones at the vehicle. The vehicle left, and moments later a large number of police and SLA armed vehicles forcefully entered the university,” Prof. Mohanadas said.
‘‘The students who were on campus were attacked, and one of our lecturers was also attacked and arrested.”
‘‘They (troops) shot at us,” University of Jaffna management student Senthil Ratneswaran told Reuters in an overcrowded local hospital, a suspected bullet fragment still in his back.
‘‘Some fell onto the road to save themselves and they were kicked. They are trying to... instigate the LTTE to move towards war.”
Students said the army had also fired rounds at the main Jaffna university campus, showing Reuters what they said were the spent bullet casings, but the army said there was no firing - although troops kept up a high profile presence.
‘‘There was no need for them to come here today,” said 25-year-old economics student Jasinthan Kamalanathan. ‘‘They come to harass and provoke us. They want the people to restart the war.”
Troops arrested Manickavasagar Ilampirayan, UJ lecturer and a student, Gowri Senthooran. No reasons were given for the arrests, but Tamil political activists have been attacked and murdered in recent months.
Prof Mohanadas said the recent outbreak of violence can be attributed to Colombo’s new policy decisions and the recent appointment of hardliner Lt. Gen. Fonseka as Army chief.
‘‘This is a worst form of politically motivated military tactic,” he said, after he himself was beaten up by military forces.
‘‘While there were attacks on the University students in the past, the university teachers and professors were never attacked before,” an editorial from Eezhanathan, a Jaffna paper, stated.
The violence was initially sparked Sunday when troops confronted students enroute to join protests against Army occupation sparked Saturday by the discovery of a local woman’s raped and mutilated body in a well near a Sri Lankan Navy base.
On Sunday students from the University of Jaffna attempted to travel to Punguduthivu to and were forcibly stopped by troops, who then began attacking civilians in the area.
Troops then forced their way into the offices of the International Tamileelam Student Union, and an hour later, international truce monitors arrived to resolve the situation.
However residents reported a resurgence of attacks after the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) left the area.
The violence continued Monday as university students and professors marched to the offices of the SLMM to protest the injustices stemming from Jaffna’s military occupation
Demonstrators were scheduled to deliver an appeal to the SLMM on Monday, protesting the heightening attacks by soldiers on civilians. However, the protestors were stopped en route to the SLMM office, as soldiers began beating up protestors.
Journalists from Tamil papers were also beaten up, and their equipments and cameras were destroyed.
University Vice Chancellor Professor C. Mohanadas, Jaffna MP S. Kajendran, Dean of Arts Professor R. Sivachandran, student leader of the medical faculty T. Kandeepan were also among those severely beaten by SLA troops. Several students were among those hospitalized for injuries.
‘‘Our university community not only includes our campus, but it encompasses our technical college, civilian homes, shops, etc. As we are a part of this greater community, we unanimously decided to temporarily suspend classes. … The students who are living in our dormitories have returned home,” Prof. Mohanadas said.
The Vice Chancellor has written to the government with three demands: ‘‘To remove the Sri Lankan military from the university areas; To stop interference with university students and To stop the military’s threatening presence in the areas where students live.”
However, he said, ‘‘No progress has yet been made in de-escalating tension in the Jaffna district.”
Students at Vavuniya campus also boycotted classes Tuesday to show their support for their fellow students in Jaffna. Students at Eastern University in Batticaloa also cancelled classes to protest the attacks on fellow students.
The most serious encounter was on Tuesday when, for the first time since the military onslaught on the northern city in 1995, the academic institution’s grounds were invaded by armed troops.
Jaffna hospital staff said it was the worst incident of its kind since the February 2002 ceasefire. One had been confirmed shot and wounded and 14 others were injured.
University employees and students fled as troops, firing their weapons, advanced into the grounds. Others took cover. Jaffna newpapers reported then the Army began attacking people on the ground.
‘‘A police vehicle arrived at the university’s Ramanathan Road, causing fear among students due to the previous day’s incidents,” Vice Chancellor of Jaffna University, S Mohanadas, said referring to the security forces confronting students enroute to protest the rape and murder of a Tamil women by suspected Sri Lanka Navy personnel.
‘‘The SLA began to open fire for no reason, making students defend themselves by throwing stones at the vehicle. The vehicle left, and moments later a large number of police and SLA armed vehicles forcefully entered the university,” Prof. Mohanadas said.
‘‘The students who were on campus were attacked, and one of our lecturers was also attacked and arrested.”
‘‘They (troops) shot at us,” University of Jaffna management student Senthil Ratneswaran told Reuters in an overcrowded local hospital, a suspected bullet fragment still in his back.
‘‘Some fell onto the road to save themselves and they were kicked. They are trying to... instigate the LTTE to move towards war.”
Students said the army had also fired rounds at the main Jaffna university campus, showing Reuters what they said were the spent bullet casings, but the army said there was no firing - although troops kept up a high profile presence.
‘‘There was no need for them to come here today,” said 25-year-old economics student Jasinthan Kamalanathan. ‘‘They come to harass and provoke us. They want the people to restart the war.”
Troops arrested Manickavasagar Ilampirayan, UJ lecturer and a student, Gowri Senthooran. No reasons were given for the arrests, but Tamil political activists have been attacked and murdered in recent months.
Prof Mohanadas said the recent outbreak of violence can be attributed to Colombo’s new policy decisions and the recent appointment of hardliner Lt. Gen. Fonseka as Army chief.
‘‘This is a worst form of politically motivated military tactic,” he said, after he himself was beaten up by military forces.
‘‘While there were attacks on the University students in the past, the university teachers and professors were never attacked before,” an editorial from Eezhanathan, a Jaffna paper, stated.
The violence was initially sparked Sunday when troops confronted students enroute to join protests against Army occupation sparked Saturday by the discovery of a local woman’s raped and mutilated body in a well near a Sri Lankan Navy base.
On Sunday students from the University of Jaffna attempted to travel to Punguduthivu to and were forcibly stopped by troops, who then began attacking civilians in the area.
Troops then forced their way into the offices of the International Tamileelam Student Union, and an hour later, international truce monitors arrived to resolve the situation.
However residents reported a resurgence of attacks after the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) left the area.
The violence continued Monday as university students and professors marched to the offices of the SLMM to protest the injustices stemming from Jaffna’s military occupation
Demonstrators were scheduled to deliver an appeal to the SLMM on Monday, protesting the heightening attacks by soldiers on civilians. However, the protestors were stopped en route to the SLMM office, as soldiers began beating up protestors.
Journalists from Tamil papers were also beaten up, and their equipments and cameras were destroyed.
University Vice Chancellor Professor C. Mohanadas, Jaffna MP S. Kajendran, Dean of Arts Professor R. Sivachandran, student leader of the medical faculty T. Kandeepan were also among those severely beaten by SLA troops. Several students were among those hospitalized for injuries.
‘‘Our university community not only includes our campus, but it encompasses our technical college, civilian homes, shops, etc. As we are a part of this greater community, we unanimously decided to temporarily suspend classes. … The students who are living in our dormitories have returned home,” Prof. Mohanadas said.
The Vice Chancellor has written to the government with three demands: ‘‘To remove the Sri Lankan military from the university areas; To stop interference with university students and To stop the military’s threatening presence in the areas where students live.”
However, he said, ‘‘No progress has yet been made in de-escalating tension in the Jaffna district.”
Students at Vavuniya campus also boycotted classes Tuesday to show their support for their fellow students in Jaffna. Students at Eastern University in Batticaloa also cancelled classes to protest the attacks on fellow students.
