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Dear Sir/Madam

Re: Appeal for Release of Jaffna Student Leader ================

During the first half of this year, hopes were high for a Norwegian facilitated talks between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the government of Sri Lanka. During this period, throughout the Tamil (North-East) regions of Sri Lanka, mass demonstrations took place in support of Tamil rights to self determination and the peace process. University students, understandably, were at the forefront of these demonstrations. There were ample evidence that the public were also fully behind these mass demonstrations [BBC-1]. Thivyan who was a student leader of the Jaffna University student union was one of the lead figure in these demonstrations.

Sri Lankan army arrested Thivyan in July 2001 under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) accusing him of being an LTTE member. When he was later produced in courts he bore marks of torture and the judge ordered a medical report on him [BBC-2], [TN]. The judge has refused to grant bail to Thivyan, because he is barred from granting bail to those arrested under PTA without the support of the Attorney General.

The army accusations, that Thivyan was an LTTE member, that he helped procure weapons for the LTTE, and that he was in possession of weapons, has all been rejected by fellow students and the Jaffna public [SL] [SU]. They have accused the army of planting evidence and making false claims. The students staged a massive protest against Thivyan's arrest and charges [AP].

In this context, a report by the government information sector [PR] which attempts to cast the Tamil student protests as an LTTE activity is revealing. In this report, written in January 2001, the government was talking about the delicate situation regarding student protests and its LTTE connections. By July 2001, having watched the protests gather huge momentum [BBC-1], all pretense of sensitivity was dropped, when Thivyan was brutally assaulted on the road before being arrested [SL].

Thivyan's arrest was designed to put a stop to the effective civil demonstrations in support of Tamil self determination and the peace process [SU]. It is intended as a message to all Tamils who dare to take part in similar demonstrations.

The civil war in Sri Lanka is one of the bloodiest, longest, and least reported wars in the world. Mass non-violent demonstrations in support of the peace negotiations, by Sri Lankan public, ought to be lauded by all peace loving people. Yet, we see the fate of a student who dare to lead such a demonstration.

Sir/Madam, we hope the you agree that Thivyan's case demands the attention of the international community. We urge you to highlight his case in appropriate forum you have access to, in order to facilitate his release.

Yours Sincerely

N Malathy Campaign to Thivyan (Jaffna Student Leader)

NOTE:

If you endorse this appeal and like to be included as email signatories to this letter, which I will be posting Foreign ministers and their diplomatic missions in Colombo please reply to mailto:malathy@ihug.co.nz

References:

[BBC-1] BBC report, Feb 20 2001 Tamil protests mount in Sri Lanka http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/south_asia/newsid_1180000/1180330.stm

[BBC-2] BBC report, 18 July 2001 Student Tamil Tiger suspect in court http://www.ecoi.net/pub/dh1003/01520sril.htm

[TN] TamilNet report, 12 JULY 2001 Arrested student leader said being tortured http://www.tamilnet.com/reports/2001/07/1201.html

[PR] Sri Lankan government report, 17 Jan 2001 Jaffna Police brace up against LTTE-driven student protests http://www.priu.gov.lk/News%20Update/current%20affairs/ca200101/20010117Jaffna_police_brace_up_against_LTTE.htm

[AP] Associated Press report, 12 July 2001 50,000 Protesters In Sri Lanka Demand Release Of Student(AP) http://in.biz.yahoo.com/010712/7/114m9.html

[SL] Sunday Leader article 15 July 2001 The Krishnasamy Thiviyan affair By D. B. S. Jeyaraj http://www.lanka.net/sundayleader/2001/Jul/15/issues.html

[SU] A Message from Jaffna University Student Union, 5 July 2001 http://www.sangam.org/NEWSEXTRA/UniStudent7_10_01.htm

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