We, the below mentioned civil society organizations and individuals, urge the government to stop the militarization of education through the Kotelawala Defense University Act and stop endangering the safety of activists who led the protests against the Act by continuing to detain them.
Endangering the health of the student leaders
We understand that the ruling party’s attempt to pass the Kotelawala National Defense University (KNDU) Act in the parliament is a step towards militarizing civil space. We strongly condemn expediting the enactment of such an Act, especially amidst a pandemic and repression of student activists and university academics who oppose it. Also, we emphasize that the government should be responsible for endangering the health of the student leaders who led the protests against the Act by imprisoning them on false charges during a pandemic.
As civil society stakeholders, we have continuously advocated protecting the democratic space, human rights, the rule of law, and reconciliation in this country. This is not the first time we have protested the attempts of militarization of the civil space. We have continually paid attention to the increasing militarization responses, especially with the appointment of task forces consisting of military leaders and members for fields such as agriculture, education, conservation of cultural heritage and health, after the current government came to power. We extend our support to the people’s struggle against the efforts for the militarization of education.
Militarization of education
We have observed that the content of this Act is a sharp attempt at the militarization of education.
According to the proposed KNDU Act, Kotelawala Defense University becomes an independent university entirely controlled by the Defense Ministry and the military, which is not accountable to the 1978 University Act. Currently, Sri Lanka’s state university system is controlled by the University Grants Commission (UGC). However, with the enactment of the proposed KNDU Act, a parallel military university system with equal powers to the UGC will be created. That university system is governed by a governing body consisting of senior officials from the Ministry of Defense and the Armed Forces.
In this military structure, our observation is that the Act contains provisions that make students entirely subject to military discipline. “When the minister is of the view that any situation within the university tends to endanger national security or thereby tend to undermine the proper functioning of the university, the minister can direct the board to take such action as he may deem necessary to control the situation.”
We opine that this affirms that students who enter this system are completely deprived of the opportunity for student activism, which they would enjoy in a democratic context.
The right to protest
All stakeholders, including university students, have the right to protest this, and we oppose any attempt to suppress the university academics and student activists who led the dissent. Many incidents of arbitrary arrests and grilling of student activists and academics on false charges have been reported.
Wasantha Mudalige, the Inter-University Students’ Federation convener, who was involved in the protest at Parliament Road on August 3rd, was arrested while returning from a discussion programme on Sirasa TV on the night of August 5th. Student activists Chameera Koswaththa and Koshila Hansamali, who were involved in the protests, were also arrested. Amila Sandeepa, the President of the Jayawardhanapura University Students’ Union, was also abducted and arrested. Lecturer Aminda Lakmal reported on social media an incident of attempting to arrest a person by someone in civilian clothes in a bus, which was transporting a group of people returning from a protest against the Act. We also draw attention to the attempts made to suppress the activists who are actively involved in the struggle of the teachers and the principals.
In our observation, most of these arrests were made under false charges of violating the quarantine laws. Student activists have been denied bail, accusing them of damaging public property by setting fire to a coffin model during the protest.
Pandemic is not a license to suppress protests
It was informed that student leaders Wasantha Mudalige, Chameera Koswaththa, and Amila Sandeepa, who were imprisoned in that way, had been infected with the Covid-19 virus in prison. We strongly emphasize that the government must take responsibility for endangering their lives due to the irresponsibility of the authorities. It is necessarily the government’s responsibility to ensure the healthcare, security, and welfare of the persons who are in state custody.
We strongly emphasize that the pandemic is not a license given to the government to neglect the rights of the people.
We urge the government to repeal the KNDU Act, which has not been tabled in the parliament, and not deprive the people of their right to protest and express their views. Also, we urge immediate action to release the detained student leaders and other activists.
Organizations
- Anuradhapura District Citizen Committee
- Asia Lanka Social Development Cooperation
- Center for Community Empowerment,
- Centre for Human Rights and Development (CHRD)
- Centre for Society and Religion
- Civil Society Solidarity Centre
- Eastern Social Development Foundation (ESDF)
- Environment and Community Development Information Centre (ECDIC)
- Families Of the Disappeared
- Food Information Action Network- FIAN Sri Lanka
- Human & Environment Links Progressive Organization (HELP-O)
- Human Rights Office, Kandy
- INFORM Human Rights Documentation Centre
- Institute Social Development (ISD)
- Janawaboda Kendraya
- Lanka Organic Agriculture Movement (LOAM)
- Law and Society Trust
- Lawyers for Democracy
- Movement for National Land and Agriculture Reform (MONLAR)
- Movement for Plantation Peoples’ Land Rights (MPPLR)
- Muslim Women’s Development Trust
- National convener -National Fisheries Solidarity Movement
- National Peace Council
- Organization of Environment and Children Rights Preservation OECRP
- Partners in Alternative Training (PALTRA)
- PEF Sri lanka
- People’s Alliance for Right to Land (PARL)
- RED Organization
- Right to Life Human Rights Centre (R2L)
- Rights Now Collective for Democracy
- Rural Development Planning Organization (RDPO)
- SAFE Foundation
- Samadana
- Savisthri National Womens’ Movement
- Social Institute for Development of Plantation Sector (SIDPS)
- Sri Lanka Brief
- Sri Lanka Nature Group
- St John’s Church, Uranee, Batticaloa
- Standup Movement Lanka
- University of Peradeniya
- Upcountry Civil Society Collective (UCSC)
- UPSAC Sri Lanka
- Uva Shakthi Foundation
- Vikalpa
- Viluthu–Centre for Human Resource Development
- Women Development Organization
- Women for Justice and Peace in Sri Lanka
- Women’s Action for Social Justice (WASJ) Net Work.
- Women’s Action Network
Individuals
- Anithra Varia
- Anushaya Collure
- Aruna Shantha Nonis
- Ashila Dandeniya
- Gowthaman, Attorney at law
- Buhary Mohamed
- Chaminda Piyasekara
- Chandra Devanarayana
- Chathura Walivitiya
- A Saman Hamangoda
- M. Nimal Disanayake
- Dinushika Dissanayake, Attorney-at-Law
- Jeevantha peiris
- Nandana Manatunga –
- Rohan Silva
- M.Sathivel
- Herman Kumara
- Ian Ferdinands
- A.N.N.Priyantha Fernando
- Jagath Siriwardana
- Jayani Abeysekara
- Jayanthi Kuru-Utumpala
- Jayasiri Jayasekara
- Jehan Jegadeesan
- Jehan Perera
- Joanne Senn
- Juwairiya Mohideen
- K,S,Ratnavale , Attorney at law
- Ajith Hadley Perera
- J. Brito Fernando
- W.R Wickramasinghe
- Lal Wijenayake
- Lucille Abeykoon
- Maithreyi Rajasingam,
- Marisa de Silva
- Harsha Jayarathna,
- Sukirtharaj,
- Nadesan Suresh
- Nadie Kammallaweera
- Nagulan Nesiah
- Nalini Rathnarajah
- Niroshan Ekanayaka
- Niyanthini Kadirgamar
- Muthulingam
- N.Singham
- Peter Rezel
- Prabodha Rathnayaka, Attorney-at-Law
- Arjuna Parakrama
- Jayadeva Uyangoda
- Puni Selvaratnam
- Raman Sanjay Gandhi
- Rajan Rohaan,
- Andrew Devadason
- Dr. Jayasiri Peiris
- Reid Shelton Fernando
- Ruki Fernando
- Ruwan Laknath Jayakody
- Balakrishnan
- Ratnajeevan H. Hoole
- Visvalingam
- C.C.Elankovan,
- Sandanam
- Sachitha Nandajith
- Sampath Samarakoon
- Sarala Emmanuel
- Shereen Saroor
- Suchith Abeyewickreme
- Sunanda Deshapriya
- Suren D. Perera,
- Swasthika Arulingam, Attorney-at-Law
- Thilak Kariyawasam
- Tisaranlee Gunasekara
- Udaya Kalupathirana
- Vadivel Rameshananthan,
- Vasuky Rajendra
- Viboo Balakrishnan
- Visakha Tillekeratne,
14-09-2021