Jaffna Uni. War memorial removed by Vice Chancellor; UGC Chief
Posted on January 9th, 2021
Courtesy The Daily Mirror
The decision to remove the war monument at the Jaffna University was taken by Vice Chancellor of Jaffna University Professor Srisatkunarajah, as it was seen as an obstruction to unity and reconciliation, University Grants Commission Chairman Prof. Sampath Amaratunge said.
Issuing a statement Prof. Amaratunga said several groups in the Jaffna University attempted to construct a war monument within the university premises around the year 2018. It appears that this memorial statue was developed over the years. But honestly the monument can be an obstruction to the unity between the North and the South,” he said.
The Vice Chancellor of Jaffna University Professor Srisatkunarajah is an eminent scientist in Sri Lanka. He is also an excellent administrator. He had decided that the memorial statue does not suit the present or the future, so he instructed the statue to be removed from the university premises,” the UGC Chairman said.
Our students who are presently in the university system would have been 9, 10 and 11 years old when the war ended. Regardless of their race or religion, Tamil, Sinhala or Muslim, they are all our children. I’m happy to say that some 1,500 Sinhala students study at the Jaffna university today. Similarly, at least 600 to 700 Tamil students, especially from the North and East are studying in universities of the South. There are no problems among these students, and that is most important,” he opined.
Prof. Amaratunga said that the only factor that can ensure a repetition the problems of the past, is the unity of these students. They reside in common hostel facilities. They participate in common lectures, common sports events and other activities. As a country we are fortunate that these students have been responsible to experience no issues at these universities,”
The Vice Chancellor of the Jaffna University has decided to remove the memorial from the university last night. I think it’s a timely decision. What we need is memorials of peace, not war. We should engage in these requirements together with our students,” he added.(Kalani Kumarasinghe)