Sri Lankan President confronts protesters demanding prisoner release

APD NEWS

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By APD Writer Easwaran

COLOMBO, Oct 14 (APD) – Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Saturday confronted a group of protesters in the northern Jaffna town, who were demanding that minority Tamil political prisoners be released.

The protesters staged a black flag protest along the street used by the President's convoy during his visit to Jaffna.

Some members of the main Tamil political party in Sri Lanka, the Tamil National Alliance, were among those who took part in the protest.

President Maithripala Sirisena got down from his vehicle and attempted to calm the protesters.

However Tamil National Alliance members M. K. Sivajilingam and Suresh Premachandran slammed the President over his failure to release the Tamil political prisoners.

Sivajilingam told the President that he has the authority to take action and secure the release of the prisoners.

As the situation got tensed the President left and the police placed a barricade preventing the protesters from getting close to the President.

Several Tamils had been arrested during a 30 year war between Tamil Tiger rebels and the military.

The war ended in May 2009 and Tamil political parties have been demanding the release of Tamil prisoners who have not been linked to terrorism.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)