Protest called off

Jaffna Uni fast and Batticaloa Hartal  against demolishing war memorial in campus

The Vice Chancellor promised to reconstruct it and they laid the foundation for the war memorial

• All shops and business establishments in several areas including  Batticaloa, Kattankudy, Valachchenai, Kaluwanchikudi and Kokkaticholai  remained closed

By Romesh Mudusanka and Jaufer Khan  

The fast unto death staged by the students of Jaffna University to protest against demolishing the war memorial in the campus was called off last morning after a meeting with Vice Chancellor Sri Satgunarajah who promised to reconstruct it.  

Later they laid the foundation for the war memorial with the Vice Chancellor as the chief guest.  
 When several students engaging in the fast were taken ill on the previous night, a team of doctors from the Jaffna General Hospital had visited the scene and provided them treatment.  

However, they called off the fast in the early hours of last morning when the Vice Chancellor intervened. They said the proposed new war memorial would be renamed as the Tower of Peace.  

Meanwhile the people in the Batticaloa District yesterday staged a protest against demolishing the war memorial. All shops and business establishments in several areas including Batticaloa, Kattankudy, Valachchenai, Kaluwanchikudi and Kokkaticholai remained closed .The protest had crippled all activities in offices in these areas. 

• A team of doctors from the Jaffna General Hospital had visited the scene and provided them treatment