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Students assaulted in Sri Lanka
In an urgent letter addressed to Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaske, the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS), a body representing over 250,000 Ontario students, expressed concern regarding the assaults by Sri Lankan army personnel on Jaffna University students, faculty members and administrators.
“On behalf of the 250,000 Ontario members of the Canadian Federation of Students, I am writing you to express concern regarding the reported assaults on university students, faculty members, and administrators from Jaffna University during a peaceful protest in Sri Lanka‘s Jaffna Peninsula,“ Jesse Greener, Ontario Chairperson for the Canadian Federation of Students said.
In an illustration of solidarity with the Students in Northern Sri Lanka, the CFS declared, “Freedom of expression is a fundamental right.“ The letter called on the government to protect students‘ rights and called for the removal of military from within and around Jaffna University.
“It is incumbent on the government of Sri Lanka to protect students‘ right to learn and express their viewpoints in a peaceful and safe environment. This means not only removing the military from within and around Jaffna University campus, but also ensuring that the basic necessities of learning are in place for all students,“ the letter said.
The CFS said that it opposes any barriers that prevent students from accessing or properly participating in their education and added that, if the allegations of rights abuse were true, they would constitute “egregious violations of the rights of students in the Northern region of Sri Lanka“ and be deserving of “international attention.“
On Dec 17, the body of Ilayathamby Tharshini (20) was recovered from an abandoned well in Punguduthivu, reports said. According to postmortem examination conducted at the Jaffna teaching hospital, she was brutally raped before being strangled to death. Punguduthivu Multi-Purpose Co-operative Society (MPCS) later said in a press release that the Sri Lanka Navy should take the responsibility for the abduction and murder of the young woman as the island was under complete control of the Navy.
On Dec 19, students on a peaceful protest march to the international peace monitoring commission were brutally assaulted and shot at without any warning or provocation by the Sri Lankan security forces, according to reports. Among those injured were several students, student leaders, senior lecturers and the Vice Chancellor of Jaffna University.
On Dec 20, armed forces entered Jaffna University premises and again brutally assaulted students, fired into the air and used tear gas to disrupt student activities, reports said. A senior lecturer and a student were arrested by released later. This is the first time in 10 years the military soldiers had stepped onto university premises.
Recalling that it was only four years ago reports of intimidations and torture of a student leader from the same university had surfaced, the CFS said, “Our hope was that in the wake of that incident the Sri Lankan government would move toward reconciliation and that steps would be taken to ensure the safety of students, and indeed, all citizens.“
“We are particularly disturbed, therefore, to hear similar stories of organized violence being perpetrated on students just this month,“ the CFS said as it called for a “swift condemnation” from the Rajapake government.
A copy of the letter was also forwarded to Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin and Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg.
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