By Norman Palihawadane and Dinasena Rathugamage
A death fast commenced by five undergraduates of the Jaffna University came to an end soon after Vice Chancellor of the University Prof. S. Srisatkunarajah laid a foundation stone yesterday for te reconstruction of the Mullivaikkal memorial within the university premises.
The death fast was launched in protest against the demolition of the memorial by the university administration on Friday night.
The policy reversal followed discussions between the university student representatives and the Vice Chancellor on Sunday night.
Yesterday morning the protesting students demanded that the VC himself lay the foundation stone. As the rains were continuing the VC wanted to put it off, but the students demanded that he do as they said despite rains.
Sri Lanka needs India’s help to bridge growing ethnic rift Follow Newsd On
By Atul Aneja
Colombo, Jan 12 (IANS) The destruction of a war memorial in Jaffna University, followed by a decision to restore it, has yet again exposed the uneasy relationship between ethnic communities, and the need for Sri Lanka to heal from within.
On January 3, Jaffna University authorities decided to raze a war memorial commemorating the Tamil bloodbath during the last phase of the three-decade-long civil war that ended in 2009. The memorial was a reminder of the killings of Tamils at Mullivaikkal, a small village in the northeast coast of Sri Lanka.
Tamil war memorial at Jaffna University destroyed in Sri Lanka; community condemns move The incident evoked strong reactions from Indian leaders, including Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister K Palaniswami, his deputy O Panneerselvam and DMK President M K Stalin, who termed the incident as a big shock A Tamil war memorial was destroyed in Sri Lanka which has enraged the local Tamil population. Twitter @TamilGuardian
A Tamil war memorial in Jaffna University was destroyed by the authorities in Sri Lanka, triggering protests by students and community groups and evoking strong reactions from Indian leaders who termed the incident as a big shock.
updated: Jan 09 2021, 22:02 ist
A Tamil war memorial in Jaffna University was destroyed by the authorities in Sri Lanka, triggering protests by students and community groups and evoking strong reactions from Indian leaders who termed the incident as a big shock.
Vice-Chancellor of the University of Jaffna Professor Sivakolundu Srisatkunarajah ordered the removal of the monument on Friday night amid heavy police presence.
The monument was established in 2019 in the University of Jaffna in memory of the civilian Tamils killed in Mullivaikkal in one of the bloody episodes of the island nation s last leg of the three-decade old conflict in 2009.
Tamil groups accused the government of destroying the war memorial to remember the Tamils. They said that the military bulldozed the memorial using heavy machinery, terming it a high-handed political act to hurt Tamil sentiments.