Jaffna celebrates Women's Day, calls on SLA to quit

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 08 March 2005, 17:34 GMT]
The Jaffna Women Cultural Forum celebrated the International Women's Day in the Jaffna district Tuesday calling on "the Sri Lankan Army (SLA) occupying the Tamil motherland should quit." An effigy symbolizing the SLA occupation was cremated at Parameswara Junction in Thirunelveli, sources said.

The effigy was taken in a mock funeral procession to the Parameswara junction accompanied by drummers. After leaving the effigy at the junction for public view the organizers attended a special prayer held at the nearby Hindu temple.

The mock funeral procession then proceeded through Palaly Road and arrived at the SLA sentry point at Arasady Junction where the demonstrators handed over pamphlets to the SLA soldiers requesting them to vacate Jaffna district.

Demonstrators then returned to the Parameswara Junction where they burnt the effigy, sources said.

Police reinforcements were brought in and deployed in the route of the procession to prevent any outbreak of violence.

However the demonstration ended peacefully and did not cause any undue disturbance to normal lifef in the city, sources said.