Trinco Urban Council exasperated

[TamilNet, Thursday, 30 April 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The Urban Council (UC) of Trincomalee unanimously resolved today, that unless the controversial United General Market which was constructed on Thirgnanasambandamoorthy Road in Trincomalee recently is not opened by May 10, the members of the UC would mount a token fast and carry out other acts of peaceful civil disobedience.

Mr. P Sooriyamoorthy, Chairman of the Trincomalee UC said that certain officers of the Ministry of Provincial Councils and Local Government, were involved in blocking the opening of the market.

At the monthly meeting of the Trincomalee UC, which began this morning, the Deputy Chairman of the UC, S.Logeswaran proposed that the Market should be opened within a month.

The Chairman of the UC should hold talks with Sri Lanka President Chandrika Kumaratunga to resolve the crisis he said.

In the event the matter is not resolved, the members of the UC should be prepared to stage a token fast, said Mr. Logeswaran.

He requested the members not to make the issue of opening the new market into one of parochial and communal considerations.

The United General Market was to be opened on October 14, 1997, but an eleventh hour written instruction from the Ministry of Provincial Councils and Local Government prevented its opening.

The dispute over the opening of the new market hinges upon ethnicity and control. The old market is controlled by the Sinhala shop keepers, who are opposed to the market shifting to the new location as it would give the Tamil traders a bigger say in determining the affairs of the market.

Today's resolution in the UC however was carried unanimously with the two Sinhala members and the two Muslim members voting with the Tamil members in its favour.