Friday Forum, a group made up of concerned citizens, has in a letter to President Mahinda Rajapaksa expressed concern over increasing crimes in Jaffna.“We are gravely perturbed at reports of increased crimes of violence in Jaffna, including killings and abductions. This is taking place at a time when there is a strong presence of armed forces in the area,” the Friday Forum said.
Copies of the letter have been sent to Presidential Secretary Lalith Weeratunga and Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa and released to the press.
The group in its letter noted that the main challenge facing the nation today was to win the peace. “People living in areas most affected by the long years of armed conflict must now be assured by the government of their safety, security, and the protection of their basic human rights.
Failure in this will seriously undermine the chances of post conflict social transformation, development and sustainable peace,” it said, urging the President to consider the concerns raised and take necessary action.
Members of the 27-strong Forum include former Anglican Bishop Duleep de Chickera, Professor Gananath Obeysekera, J.C. Weliamuna, Jezima Ismail, Dr. Deepika Udagama, Dr. Jayampathy Wickramaratne and Chandra Jayaratne. |
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