Student protests continue, Vadamaradchy tense

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 December 2005, 12:30 GMT]
Tension griped Vadamaradchy area as students protests condemning attacks against the students by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) yesterday, and calling for removal of checkpoints near the High Security Zone (HSZ) encompassing Hartley College and Methodist Girls High School, continued for a second day Tuesday, sources in Point Pedro said.

Hundreds of students from other schools in Vadamaradchy area joined the protest by setting up road blocks using tree branches and dragging concertina fences, and burning tyres along all four roads leading to the HSZ, College Road, Vinayagamudaliyar (VM) Raod, Harbor Road and Sea Road, and blockaded the SLA camps.

Additional SLA soldiers and Police, were brought into the area and formed a cordon around the students. Situation further deteriorated as parents, fearing safety of their children participating in the protests, assembled around the outer circle of SLA soldiers and police, sources said.

Although tear gas was used in places and soldiers fired into the air, there are no report of any injuries.

Protests spread to other towns in Vadamaradchy when students from schools in Nelliyady, Valvettiturai (VVT), Udupiddy and Thunnalai set fire to tyres in front of their schools.

Traders in most towns in Vadamaradchy have closed their businesses fearing violence as protests intensified, sources in Vadamaradchy said.