NorthEast mourns for Raviraj

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 November 2006, 16:51 GMT]
The people of Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mulaithivu, Mannar, Vavuniya, Batticaloa, Amparai and Trincomalee districts observed hartal (general shut down) Wednesday mourning the loss of Raviraj, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian allegedly assassinated by Eelam People Democratic Party (EPDP) cadres operating with the Sri Lankan Army (SLA). The shut down was organized to condemn Raviraj's assassination and the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) artilery fire killing of nearly forty-two Tamil civilians including children in Vaharai in Batticaloa.

White flags and black flags were hoisted on houses and shops and normal life came almost to a standstill in the eight districts where people of Tamil, Sinhalese and Muslim ethnic communities expressed the respect they had for Raviraj.

All shops, schools, government and private institutions, banks, Courts of Justice remain closed while the streets were empty without civilian traffic.

Fishermen in these districts abstained from fishing Wednesday as an expression of their grief, civil sources said.

Vavuniya, for the fifth consecutive day observed complete shut down in protest against the assassination of Raviraj and against Sri Lanka Government's undeclared economic embargo on the Jaffna peninsula by closing the A9 route, Vavuniya sources said.

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