Eastern campus students continue boycott

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 20 April 2011, 10:18 GMT]
Undergrads of the Eastern University of Sri Lanka (EUSL) did not attend classes Tuesday following the arrest of the President and Secretary of the University Students Union (USU) on Monday night, according to the acting Vice Chancellor Mr.K.Premkumar. The EUSL re-opened Tuesday after the closure following the boycott of classes in protest to the assault on Tamil undergrads by the police that took place on March 29. But the Student Union through a media statement on April 18 wanted its members to continue the boycott till the removal of the police sentry point from varsity premises when the EUSL administration decided to reopen the varsity on April 19.

Tharmaretnam Krishnananth and Thillaiamplam Mathiraj, President and Secretary of the EUS were arrested on Monday night by the police on a report that both were trying to create unrest by issuing a statement calling to continue the boycott.

Tamil undergrads boycotted the classes on Tuesday heeding to the EUS appeal, sources said.

EUS President and Secretary were later allowed on bail by the Batticaloa Magistrate.

The unrest and boycott of classes in the EUSL began on March 30 following the attack on Tamil undergrads by the Police who entered the varsity premises without the permission of the Vice Chancellor on March 29.

EUSL administration closed the university indefinitely from the next day following the instruction of the Sri Lanka Army and Police.

The unrest among the students was triggered by the celebration of the victory of the Sri Lanka cricket team in the semifinal in the World Cup held in Colombo, which interfered with the studies of fellow Tamil students, according to local students.