TNA parliamentarian, university students question ‘reconciliation’
[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 November 2012, 15:12 GMT]
Following atrocities committed on the Jaffna university students by
occupying Sri Lanka’s military intelligence and police on Tuesday and
Wednesday, TNA parliamentarian Mr. E. Saravanabhavan questioned the
validity of the so-called reconciliation process when Sri Lanka’s
military and police consider the Jaffna University students as enemies.
The current developments remind of the situation 30 years back that
paved way for the subsequent struggle, the parliamentarian said in a
video address to media. Meanwhile student representatives addressing the
university students on Wednesday, while condemning the genocidal
military of Sri Lanka, asked where to lodge complaint except to the
International Community.
A
military should observe certain norms. But this [SL military] is a
genocidal military that steps on norms with its boots. They entered the
gents’ hostel like they were seizing an enemy position. They sent the
paramilitary without uniforms inside the ladies hostel to show guts
while we were paying homage to our fallen heroes, a student
representative said while addressing the students on Wednesday.
“What
we need is not carpet roads, telecommunication towers, dance shows of
half-naked women and cricket matches, but the right of
self-determination for us,” the representative said.
“What we
always have in our heart is humanitarian consideration. We had a chance
to express it on Tuesday [homage to fallen heroes].”
We have a
duty to honour the heroes fought for our land. We were oppressed from
doing so in the last three years as well as this year. We will wage our
struggle by democratic means, he further said.
Another student
representative, speaking on Wednesday, said that the university
administration falsely claims that the military entered the hostels and
attacked the students without its knowledge. Then why should there be a
Vice Chancellor. Let them bring an SL soldier on the street and put him
on the seat of the Vice Chancellor, the student representative said.
Where
can we complain? There is nobody here in Jaffna for us to complain.
Only the International Community should do something, the student
representative said.
Speaking to media, TNA
parliamentarian Saravanabhavan identified the issue as one that
questioning the workability of reconciliation, as long as the SL
military and police treat the Tamil people and students as their
enemies.
What happened in the Jaffna University on Tuesday and
Wednesday had pushed back reconciliation by five years. Whatever that
had been achieved is lost. There is no doubt that the military will
behave in the same way even when we oblige to ‘accept whatever that is
given’ formula. The behaviour will be the same in the South too, the
parliamentarian said.
When democratic struggles are oppressed by
the military that means that the time has come for all sections of
people to question the oppressing military, he further said.
A
new generation political activist in Jaffna, commenting on the events at
the Jaffna University said that it is only a typical evidence showing
that the paradigm of ‘reconciliation’ designed by Washington and New
Delhi is nothing but another word for prolonged genocide.
Chronology:
