SLA denies local Tamils access to water

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 28 October 1997, 23:59 GMT]
The people of Suppar Madam in Pt. Pedro are faced severe hardships in finding fresh water for drinking after the SLA recently prohibited them from drawing water from the well in the Hartley College compound.

The army currently occupies part of the school's buildings. Following reports in recent weeks that the Liberation Tigers have infiltrated Vadamaradchi in significant numbers, the SLA unit at Hartley college decided to secure the well for fear of it being poisoned.

Six schools in Vadamaradchi are partly occupied the army. This is a strategy whereby the SLA is protecting itself from attacks by the LTTE say residents.

This is the case in the eastern province as well. Many schools there are either occupied by the army completely with the teachers and students forced to occupy adjacent compounds or are partly occupied it.

In this case any major attack on these SLA camps would inevitably result in the death of school children.

Attendance in the higher grades of these Vadamaradchi schools is poor due to the army's presence say teachers.

The following are the schools partly occupied by the army:

1. Hartley College, Pt. Pedro
2. Sinnathamby Mahaviththiyalayam . Maalu Santhi on the Nelliyadi - Pt Pedro road.
3. Uduppiddy American Mission school
4. Valvai Girls school. Valvettithurai
5. Ponnambalam Mahaviththiyalayam . Nelliady Karaveddi.
6. Kunjar Kadaiadi Government Tamil Mixed School (GTMS)