Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Govt. intensifies student crackdown - SSU

(Srilankamirror) - The Socialist Students Union accuses the government of intensifying its crackdown on students. In a statement, the SSU charged that in addition to setting up police posts at universities, the rulers are now using police and the Army to lay siege to universities.

Its national organizer Nalinda Jayatissa said the government had used the judiciary, police and the Army to disrupt the march by university students against the private universities act.

This act is to be tabled in parliament next month without the knowledge of academics and even the University Grants Commission in order to pass it with a two-third majority, he charged.

 It will be the most threatening educational document to be introduced at the behest of the IMF and agreed to by the Rajapaksa regime, which will sabotage the state-owned university system, he said.

Students staying at hostels of Peradeniya University were threatened not to take part in the demonstration, Mr. Jayatissa said in the statement.

He went onto say that without stopping at repressing students and student unions, the government has now resorted to misleading the judiciary into giving orders to prevent peaceful protests by the students.

The SSU urged the progressive forces to support the struggle to protect free education and demanded the government to stop repressing students.

SLM