COLOMBO, Dec. 18, Reuter: At least six people were injured on Friday as Sri Lankan police used teargas to disperse 3,000 students protesting at an army search that uncovered bombs in their campus.
Police said 45 students were arrested after 2,000 soldiers and police commandos found several small bombs in a dormitory at Kelaniya University just outside Colombo.
The students, on their last day of examinations, were dispersed after sitting in a road outside the cam- pus after security forces stopped them entering.
Police found five kg (10 pounds) of gunpowder and knives and iron rods on Tuesday at Jaye-wardenepura University, which closed last Friday after teachers were threatened by students demanding the release of arrested colleagues.
About 3,000 placard waving students from six universities de- menstruated on Thursday at Colombo University for the release of an unknown number of students in detention.
Police have arrested students suspected of links with the People’s Liberation Front, a banned Marxist political party whose – members are mainly from the – country’s majority Sinhalese com- munity.
The JVP opposes a July peace pact aimed at ending a four-year separatist war waged by Tamil guerrillas by giving autonomy to Tamil areas in the north and east of the island.
The JVP also wants 35,000 Indian troops policing the pact, which some guerrillas have ignored, to leave the country.
Article extracted from this publication >> December 25, 1987
