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JVP AND UNION CONDEMN TEAR GAS AND RUBBER BULLETS ATTACK ON TEACHERS DEMANDING A DISCUSSION WITH EDUCATION MINISTER
By Walter Jayawardhana reporting from Los Angeles January 26,03:21 PM:When the puppet of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, TNA requested all temporary teachers in the North and East should be made permanent the Ranil Wickremesinghe government did it immediately. But when the same request was made by the volunteer teachers of the North Central Province and Puttalama District they were attacked by the Police with tear gas and rubber bullets charged the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) in a statement issued to the press. Sri Lanka’s second largest opposition party the JVP was commenting on the tear gas and rubber bullets attack aimed at volunteer teachers performing a sathyagraha in front of the Ministry of Education , January 22, injuring several protestors including a Buddhist monk among them. Nearly 150 teachers many working in difficult villages in the Anuradhapura and Puttalama hamlets bordering LTTE controlled areas from which attacks used to be aimed at civilians have been performing a Sathyagraha demanding negotiations with Education Minister Dr. Karunasena Kodituwakku. The Minister of Education Cultural Affairs and Human Resources, unlike during the TNA request refused to meet them for a discussions. The JVP statement said the tear gas and rubber bullets attack indicated the Minister did not have the even the basic humility of calling them for a discussion. The minister of Education Dr. Karunasena Kodituwakku refused to comment on the issue to the newspapers and said he would talk about it later. The JVP said the traitorous government who was ready to forgo millions in rupees to import high powered radio transmissions for the terrorists of the liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and granting any gift to them as requested did not have any need to fulfill the just demands of the teachers working in the most difficult schools in the island. Meanwhile the Education Employees Union, issuing a statement said that they vehemently condemned the unprecedented attack on teachers demanding only negotiations. The volunteer teachers who were the unfortunate victims of the government were engaged in teaching poor students in difficult areas for years . They served those schools undergoing utmost economic difficulties as volunteer teachers. Under such circumstances attacking them instead of listening to their grievances democratically showed the lowest level this government had stooped to in maintaining their power and highly contemptible, the union charged. Venerable Palippotane Somaloka Thero, who got injured in the police attack said that a tear gas canister fired by the police fell on his robe and when he tried to throw it away his hands were burnt. By the fumes of the gas he fell unconscious he added. Venerable Somaloka said that he had worked as a volunteer teacher over two years. There were 1800 vacancies in those areas for Sinhala Tamil and English teachers he said. Venerable Unagollawe Seelanada another protester who took part in the sathyagraha said he served in a North Central Province school.. On the day of the incident they started shouting slogans. The police closed the gate. When they sat down pressurized water jets were used to in an attempt to remove them. When they failed the police used tear gas and shot with rubber bullets , Venerable Seelananda said. Eleven victims injured have been admitted to the Talangama Hospital, National Hospital Colombo and Sri Jayawardhanapura Hospital . One woman was subjected to an emergency surgery . Upul Ekanayaka , the President of the Pttalama District Volunteer Teachers Union said in the District there were teachers who had served between 3 to 11 years on a voluntary basis. There were 1041 vacancies in the area he said. (26/01/03 go2lanka.com) |