Facebook icon
Twitter icon
e-mail icon

Army commander warns Tamils - roadside camps will return if 'peace' disturbed

Sri Lanka's army commander stationed in Jaffna today warned Tamils gathered that if the 'peaceful life' was disturbed there would be a return to check points and roadside stop and interrogations. 

Speaking just a few days after thousands of Tamils across the North-East marked Maaveerar Naal, a day of remembrance for fallen LTTE fighters, and two police officers were killed in Batticaloa, Major General Hettiarachchi told Tamils to "our expectation is that Tamils living in Jaffna live with love."

"At the same time at this juncture I ask the Tamil brothers and sisters, you need to continue to safeguard this harmonious, peaceful life together into the future," he said. 

"If this peaceful life and situation changes again to how it was in the past, the time will come again when the police and the army set up camps along the roadside and stop and interrogate those passing by on the streets as they did in the past."

"Therefore I ask, continue to safeguard this peaceful life together, and continue to live this peaceful, harmonious life yourselves, and permit us to continue our welfare work."

"Also if anyone undertakes activities designed to disturb this peace - do not empower them, stop strengthening them, weaken them, work towards safeguarding this country's peace."

 

 

We need your support

Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.

Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view

We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.

For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.