Picketing at Eastern University for permanent cease-fire

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 January 2002, 22:11 GMT]
Students, academic and non-academic staff of the Eastern University Campus in Batticaloa picketed Thursday noon, urging the government to declare a permanent cease-fire, and to lift restrictions on fishing and agriculture. A large number of demonstrators picketed at the entrance of the campus for one hour from 12.20 p.m., holding placards and shouting slogans, said sources.

The students also urged the government to investigate the attack on senior Tamil journalists Mr.D.Sivaram and Mr.Wijenthiran, and on the office of 'Thinakathir', a regional Tamil daily, on 26 December last year.

Meanwhile, Tamil youths arrested under the PTA and detained at Kalutara prison, south of Colombo, Thursday appealed to the Government that they should be released forthwith. They told the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian Mr.E.Thangavadivelu to take steps to keep all Tamil political prisoners detained at several prisons in the south of Sri Lanka in one place to ensure their safety.

Mr.Thangavadivelu Thursday visited Kalutara prison to obtain first hand information about the treatment meted out to Tamil prisoners there.

More than 317 Tamil youths arrested under the PTA are detained at Kalutara prison. A majority of them have not been indicted in any court, prison sources said.