A hartal has been called today (20) in the Northern and Eastern Provinces demanding that an investigation be conducted regarding the death threats said to have been received by Mullaitivu District Judge T. Saravanaraja.

Another purpose of this hartal is to prevent the construction of new Buddhist temples in the Northern and Eastern Provinces and to prevent the transfer of land used by Tamil farmers in Mylathamadu, Batticaloa to Sinhalese.

Seven Tamil political parties have launched this hartal campaign by issuing a joint statement.

The Northern Provincial Traders Association has also supported this hartal by closing down all the shops.

The Magistrates have reported to work but the lawyers have refrained from service.

However, the public sector institutions and school activities have not been disrupted.

Only the traders associations and private bus owners’ associations have directly supported the hartal.