Several Tamil political parties have planned to stage a hartal today (18) in the Northern and Eastern provinces demanding the repeal of the Prevention of Terrorism Act, holding provincial council elections, and resolving land disputes affecting the Tamil community.

Batticaloa District ITAK leader MP Shanakyan Rasamanickam told The Island that the hartal would be led by leaders of three Tamil and three Muslim parties, representing the region in Parliament.

Rasamanickam said that the protest aimed to present demands peacefully. He said that ordinary residents of the Northern and Eastern provinces faced numerous difficulties, including military control over lands, schools and all aspects of civilian life. The military’s agricultural activities had caused economic hardships to local residents, he said,

Rasamanickam also mentioned an incident on 7 August in the Muthu Ayankattu in Oddusuddan, Mullaitivu, where Edirmanasingam Kabilraj, a 32-year-old youth had died allegedly at the hands of the army.

Rasamanickam said that his party had formally raised the issues with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and is calling for solutions through the hartal. He said that although talks had been held with the President in December last year regarding disaster situations, follow-up discussions on the Tamil community’s broader grievances have not been held.

Upcountry People’s Front Leader V Radha Krishnan said that the hartal would cripple all administrative and commercial activities in the Northern and Eastern provinces, with full cooperation from local trade union leaders. Many Tamil party leaders have publicly extended support for the protest.

Radha Krishnan said that the Ceylon Workers Congress had pledged to back the hartal, stressing that without local support, resolving these issues would be difficult.

The SLMC has also announced its support for the hartal. In a statement, the SLMC condemned the killing of Kabilraj in Mullaitivu.  “This brutal act is yet another reminder of the deep crisis of law and order within the very forces that are tasked with protecting the public.”

Kabilraj’s body was recovered from the Muttaiyankattu Tank on 9 August, two days after he and four others had reportedly been summoned to a nearby army camp and assaulted.The SLMC further charged that the government’s failure to hold members of the armed forces accountable for such incidents has eroded public trust and endangered the safety of civilians.

by Chaminda Silva and Samanthi Weerasekera ✍️