STUDENT LEADER ALLEGES INHUMANE RAGGING AT PERADENIYA

• 23 Dec 2011
• Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka)
• BY SUMAIYA RIZVI

The inhumane ragging at the University of Peradeniya has been reaching new heights and the recently reported sexual abuse is the tip of the iceberg, AntiRagging Students’ Collective convener Yukti Ekadeera said yesterday.
Anti Ragging Students’ Collective convener Yukti Ekadeera speaking at the news conference with Sanjeewa Bandara looking on. Pic by Kushan Pathiraja “Physical abuse has taken a turn for the worse, leading to sexual abuse. We also have proof that students are forced to work at the massage parlour,” Mr. Ekadeera said. He said he too was victimized during his first year at the University of Peradeniya when he was beaten and put into a toilet pit.

According to him, only a handful of the student union leaders take ragging to new heights, deeply scarring the victims. All first year students face the dilemma of choosing between pleasing the student unions and adhering to the University administration, Mr. Ekadeera said.
“We are forced to take part in protests against the University Administration,” Mr. Ekadeera said. The student unions would force the first year students to oppose the University administration’s orders and as a result, the first year students would be suspended, he said.
“These are the terrors that exist within Universities and we want the whole country to know,” Mr. Ekadeera said.

Ruhunu Uni victim of ragging transferred to NH

23 Dec 2011, Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka)

A first-year-student of the faculty of Social Sciences of the Ruhunu University, who was admitted to the Matara General Hospital after she sustained serious injuries to her hip bone due to ragging by senior students of the University, was transferred to the Colombo National Hospital yesterday.
It was alleged that 21-year-old Wathsala Kumudinie de Silva was subjected to ragging at the university canteen by a group of senior students. Minister of Higher Education S.B. Dissanayake had ordered that an ambulance be rushed to the scene to take Wathsala to the National Hospital for treatment.

Minister Dissanayake told the media that a student of the Peradeniya University had been both emotionally and physically scarred as a result of inhumane ragging. He claimed that ragging was yet to be eliminated from the Ruhu-
nu and Peradeniya Universities. The Minister said that the JVP was behind these incidents and he also put the blame for such occurrences on the Vice Chancellors of the two universities, saying they too will be held responsible.
Matara SSP Sumith Edirisinghe, SP Damayantha Wijeya Sri, HQI Hishantha Perera and SI K.m.a.gunaratne were conducting inquiries into the incident on the instructions of Senior DIG, Southern Province, Lalith Jayasinghe.

Suspending of Unions is first step to privatisation of education: JVP

Thursday, 22 December 2011 16:23, Dailymirror

The JVP alleged that the suspending of Students Unions of the Peradeniya University is the first step towards creating a conducive environment for the introduction of Privatisation of free education in the country. The JVP stated that the government’s suppression of the democratic rights of students would lead to bloodshed.

At a press conference held at the JVP headquarters politburo member of the party Sunil Handuneththi alleged that the suspension was a clear political move by the government. “The suspension of the constitutional rights of the students to assemble and be a part of a Union is a clear political move of the government towards the privatisation of education. We believe that the government is creating an atmosphere for the introduction of the Private universities bill in February next year, and these are the steps the government is taking to suppress democratic opposition,” he said. The for Parliamentarian went on to point out that history has taught this country how the suppression of students could lead to bloodshed.

The JVP also stated that the reasoning given by the Vice Chancellor for the suspension of the Unions were laughable. “The Vice Chancellor had stated that the actions of the Unions have brought the university into disrepute, there is nothing more laughable than this, when in fact it is the actions and policies of the government and its puppet administrators that have brought the universities into disrepute. The fact that there are faculties that have been created without building, the fact that students can’t pass out due to non-availability of lecturers and the very fact that uneducated men have been bestowed with doctorates are the very actions that have brought the universities and the education system of the country into disrepute,” he said.

Handuneththi went on to say that the JVP would continue to fight against the privatisation of universities and the rights of the students. “We will keep on fighting against this government’s undemocratic and draconian policies. We will force the government to ensure that basic rights of these student be protected,” he said. (Hafeel Farisz)

Pera undergrads boycott lectures

December 22, 2011, 10:00 pm , The Island/

by Dasun Edirisinghe

Undergraduates of the Peradeniya University boycotted lectures yesterday in protest against the suspension of the students’ council and student unions on Wednesday by the university administration.

University sources said that students had held a protest opposite the Senate building demanding the withdrawal of the suspension order, but they had to disperse as the university administration refused to do so.

A spokesman for the students however said, they would not stop the protest against the suspension of the students’ council and student unions.

The decision to suspend students’ council and student unions was taken by the Vice Chancellor Professor S. B. S. Abeykoon following recommendation by his advisory committee.

Meanwhile, the Inter University Students’ Federation said that they would launch a separate protest campaign shortly against government’s suppression of undergraduates.

IUSF Convener Sanjeewa Bandara told The Island that so far the government suspended 24 students unions and six student councils.

Bandara said that student unions were allowed by the university act, but the government’s newest move it was violating it.

He said that a protest march organized from Peradeniya to Colombo, which was scheduled to be started on the same day, was also stopped by the police obtaining a court order.

"We planned to hold that four-day protest march against the establishment of private universities and suppression of student rights," Bandara said adding this government did not allow a peaceful protest march too.