The Tamil National People's Front (TNPF) has condemned the Sri Lanka military’s use of buildings in the North-East to construct quarantine facilities for its armed forces.
Former Sri Lanka parliamentarian and General Secretary of TNPF, Selvarajah Kajendren, released a statement on behalf of their party on their Twitter account;
“Sri Lanka should immediately halt constructing quarantine facilities for its Armed Forces in the Tamil homeland.
The Government of Sri Lanka has already begun work on establishing isolation and treatment facilities for its Armed Forces at Jaffna National College of Education (Koppai), Nelliady MMV and Drieberg College (Chavakacheri) in densely populated areas of the Tamil homeland.
The occupying Armed Forces of Sri Lanka already stand accused of genocide on the Tamil people, including extensively documented sexual violence, systemic torture, and other grave crimes.
The Tamil nation has continuously demanded the withdrawal of the occupying Sri Lankan Armed Forces as only their complete withdrawal from the Tamil homeland will ensure our security.
Opening quarantine facilities for Sri Lankan Armed Forces in the Tamil homeland will further risk the spread of COVID- 19 in the Tamil homeland, risking the lives of thousands of Tamil people.
There is no doubt that any infected individual should be provided adequate treatment to ensure their full recovery from COVID- 19. But knowingly, deliberately risking the lives of an entire people, already under occupation, is unacceptable.
Those affected must be isolated and treated within their own districts, in contrast to transporting them all to the Tamil homeland. We demand that Sri Lanka immediately halt the opening of quarantine and isolation facilities for its Armed Forces in the Tamil homeland.
We vehemently condemn these activities and we will not hesitate in initiating a campaign to prevent opening such facilities in the Tamil homeland.”
Earlier yesterday, parents of students at a school in Mullaitivu staged a protest to condemn the army’s attempt to utilise the school as a quarantine centre. Many have expressed their concern at the decision to construct these quarantine centres and see it as a huge risk to their safety amid the pandemic.
