Tamil civil society and political organisations have called for businesses and institutions to remain closed on Friday, October 13, in solidarity with Tamil political prisoners and their demands.

The organisations said the Tamil people must exert pressure on the Sri Lankan president to urgently resolve the issue of political prisoners, as well as demand the reversal of certain cases back to Tamil districts in line with demands of the political prisoners themselves.

As well as being endorsed by the Jaffna University Student’s Union, the signatories of the call for hartal were:

• Tamil Civil Society Forum

• Jaffna University Teachers Union

• Ceylon Teachers Union

• National Movement for the Release of Political Prisoners

• New Principals of the North-East Union

• Jaffna University Labourers Union

• Social Science Research Centre

• Rural Workers Union

• Mass Movement for Social Justice

• Action Centre for Tamil People’s Rights

• Vali North Resettlement and Rehabilitation Committee

• Jaffna Economists Union

• All Ceylon Saiva Mahasabai

• Tamil People’s Council

• Tamil National People’s Front

• Eelam People’s Revolutionary Liberation Front

• New Democratic Marxist-Leninist Party

• Democratic People’s Liberation Front (PLOTE)

• Tamil United Liberation Front