Eelam People’s Democracy Party (EPDP) supporters set fire to a Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) bus Saturday morning in a shutdown protest demanding Minister Douglas Devananda not to resign his post, sources in Jaffna said. Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers forced open the few shops in Jaffna town which had been closed in fear of EPDP supporters who had called for the shutdown protest, the sources added. Minister Douglas Devananda, the leader of EPDP, had told his supporters that he was going to resign his minister post for being the reason for Mahinda Rajapakse’s defeat in Jaffna peninsula in the presidential election, the sources added. This is but a political stunt in view of the parliamentary general election expected in April or May, political observers in Jaffna said.
Though EPDP supporters had sent a report in the name of ‘Jaffna District Intellectuals’ (JDI) to local media calling for support for the intended shutdown none of the Tamil dailies except ‘Valampuri’ had published the report, being doubtful of EPDP oriented reports, the sources said.
Meanwhile, a 19-year-old youth, from Achchuveali where the bus was set fire to, calling himself the representative of IDI, had threatened the media for ignoring the report.
However, SLA reacted to the shutdown protest by restoring normalcy in the peninsula.
Two SLA soldiers were deployed in each of the SLTB buses for their safety and public transport continued uninterrupted in all parts of the peninsula including Vadamaraadchi and Thenmaraadchi.
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