JAFFNA, SRI LANKA, December 17, 2007: The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) is now collecting detailed information about all Saiva priests in the Jaffna peninsula. In a recent directive issued by SLA high command, all priests in the North have been instructed to report at the nearest SLA camp and provide personal details and details of their family members, according to civil sources in Jaffna.
The priests who have not yet heeded the SLA orders have been issued warnings and ordered to report immediately at the closest army camp. In a number of instances SLA troopers have visited the residence of the priests to record details of their families, sources said. A similar step was taken by Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) sailors, after two bomb blasts occurred in the islets in April and May. However, the Navy discontinued this practice after a short while.
The current action by SLA is related to the fact that a large number of Hindu priests had participated in the inter religious peace summit held in Jaffna last week and brought to light the human rights violations taking place in the peninsula, sources said. According to a spokesman for the Federation of Hindu Priests in the North, the SLA action is meant to harass the entire Hindu population.