
“Accommodate self governance; else we will go ahead with our freedom struggle”
People and TNA legislators join hands in human-chain demonstration
Second in the series of public demonstrations against the lethargic attitude of the government in the peace process and institutionalizing ISGA with a view to effectively meet urgent humanitarian needs resultant to the devastation caused by two decades of war, people of Thenmaradchy, south of Jaffna converged in the town of Kaithady and were engaged in a human-chain demonstration yesterday 22 December 2004.
The demonstration organised by the confederation of Thenmaradchy CBO’s commenced at 10.00 a.m. at the Kaithady junction with the participation of people from the villages around Kaithady, the community centre representatives, university students from the Ayurvedha medical faculty and trade union representatives. 
TNA legislators Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam and Ms.Padmini Sithambaranathan too joined in the human-chain demonstration. In a meeting that took place at the Kaithady junction, presided over by Mr.S.Arunthavabalan, President of the confederation, TNA legislators reiterated the necessity to recommence the peace talks on the basis of the ISGA and that the government should demonstrate its commitment to the peace process by stopping all its military preparations which are seen by the Tamil people as actions in bad faith. Significant in this demonstration was the heavy presence of the Sri Lankan Police and members of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM). Shopping complexes were all closed and the business community too fully participated in the demonstration.
23 December 2004
|