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Mass protest against the establishment of a new Sri Lanka Army Camp in the Jaffna Fort area

A mass protest was organized by the Federation of Jaffna Humanitarian Organizations on 5 May 2003. Hundreds of people took part in the protest despite the warnings from the SLA. At the end of the protest a memorandum was handed over to the Jaffna SLMM representative to be sent to Prime Minister Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe.

The contents of the memorandum are;

"At a time when the peace negotiations ares being continued it is important that normalcy should be restored. When there are alternative places to relocate the Army camp without causing any difficulties to the members of the public, it is unfortunate and unacceptable that the Defense Ministry has taken a decision to establish an Army camp in the Jaffna Fort area. We have expressed our strong objection to the establishment of the new army camp in our letter to you, dated 27 March 2003. Considering our request favorably you have taken action to stop the establishment of the army camp in the Municipal Council complex.

However the public is very much perturbed about the decision to establish the army camp in the Jaffna fort area again. Action is being taken now to rebuild the chest clinic and the children's hospital which were functioning here before the conflict. In and around this area Meenadchi Amman temple, houses built under the housing scheme, Jaffna Post Office Complex, Telecom, Virasingam Hall, christian cemetery, fish market, etc. are situated. The Location of an army camp in this area will definitely be a hindrance to these institutions and will create many problems.

As far as the City of Jaffna concerned, massive crowds move about in the area, like Galle Face in Colombo, where people gather and also participate in the many cultural and entertainment shows that are held. Some of the horrendous incidents of brutality by the armed forces also occurred in this area and vividly remain in the memories of our people. In the international Tamil Research Conference held in this area in 1974, 11 people were killed in an unfortunate incident and the burning of the Jaffna Public Library in 1981 can never be forgotten by the Tamils. We can't change history. But we should learn lessons from the mistakes of the past.

As such we request you to intervene in this matter immediately and take necessary action to stop the establishment of the Army camp.''

The copies of this memorandum were sent to the Head of SLMM, Secretary to the Defense Ministry, the Royal Norwegian Ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Leader of the LTTE.

06 May 2003

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