Vanni protest rallies condemn SLA killing of school girls

[TamilNet, Friday, 30 November 2007, 01:26 GMT]
All employees of Government Departments in Vanni wearing black arm bands staged a work stoppage from 9:30 a.m. till 11:00 a.m. Thursday as a mark of protest against the Claymore attack carried out Tuesday morning by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Deep Penetration Unit (DPU) in which seven female students of Iyankankulam school engaged in rural first aid service were killed.



Staffers at the Ki’linochchi Zonal Education office headed by T.Kurukularajah, Director of Education, also staged a similar protest.

Students in Vanni schools, wearing black bands, also joined in the district-wide work stoppage, staging protest rallies at various locations and burning effigies of Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse.

The students and teaching staff of Ki’linochchi St.Theresa Girls School took part in a protest march from the school premises carrying the effigy of Rajapakse up to Karadippoakku junction where they set fire to the effigy. A similar protest rally was organized by the students of Ki’linochchi Central and Ki’linochchi Madhya Maha Vidyalayam, according to student leaders in Kilinochchi.

Educational activities were suspended till noon at the three schools in the area during the protest rally.

A number of protest marches were held Thursday by the educational community in Mullaiththeevu district, sources said.

Meanwhile, in a protest rally organized by the Federation of students in Akkaraayan Zone Wednesday morning, hundreds of students from Akkaraayan Madhya Vidyalayam, shouting slogans, marched up to Ampalapperumaa'l junction where they burnt the effigy of Rajapakse. The students of all the schools in Maangku’lam Education Zone took part in a joint protest march Wednesday morning along Maangku’lam main road. The protest march continued up to Thunukkai Educational Zone, where a meeting to condemn the killing was held presided by Theevarajan, a GCE Advanced Level student.

Mr.Pangayatchelvan, Principal of Maangku’lam Madhya Vidyalayam and M.Theivendiram, Thu’nukkaay Zonal Director of Education, spoke condemning the targeting of school children. Mr Theivendiram said the killings have had severe psychological impact to the school children in Vanni.

At the end of the rally a report condemning the bombing was handed over to Mr.Theivendiram, Thu’nukkaay Zonal Director of Education, to be forwarded to the Government of Sri Lanka through Mullaiththeevu District Secretary.

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