North prepares to protest against HNB! (Video)

Many HNB customers of the Northern Province Hatton National Bank are preparing to protest against HNB for interdicting two employees who had participated in the Mulliwaikkal Memorial in memory of those who were killed during the war nine years ago, it is reported.

The Assistant Manager of the HNB Killinochchi Branch and another newly recruited employee had been interdicted for having organised a commemoration ceremony within the KIllinochchi HNB branch premises and lighting lamps in memory of the dead.

The bank administration had justified their decision claiming that it was one that was taken on behalf of the ‘Pride of Sri Lankans’.

Issuing a statement regarding the matter, HNB noted that, "HNB takes very seriously any sentiment or act that is in violation of, or poses a threat to the morale of citizens of Sri Lanka. As a Bank that stands for all Sri Lankans, our goals, interests and initiatives are all aligned to the vision and greater good of our Country."

"We regret an unauthorized incident that took place recently in one of our branches, which does not reflect the values of the Bank. The matter has been investigated and necessary action taken," the statement further stated.
 
''A company that disregards human emotions''

The people of the North who were enraged by the action taken against two of their employees who had commemorated the thousands killed during the destructive war, had written many letters seeking the suspension of their bank accounts with the bank, Radio Gagana reported.
One letter written to the Jaffna HNB Manager noted, “I have no desire to conduct transactions with a bank that does not respect human emotions”.

Northern Provincial Council member M.K. Sivajilingam said that this boycott will affect other HNB branches as well and not only the North.
"HNB takes very seriously any sentiment or act that is in violation of, or poses a threat to the morale of citizens of Sri Lanka. As a Bank that stands for all Sri Lankans, our goals, interests and initiatives are all aligned to the vision and greater good of our Country."
 
"We regret an unauthorized incident that took place recently in one of our branches, which does not reflect the values of the Bank. The matter has been investigated and necessary action taken." He said, “When the whole North is mourning the loss of their loved ones, it is not ethical for the bank to take such revengeful action.”

He pointed out that even the prominent Ministers within the government have accepted the Tamil people’s right to commemorate the loss of their loved ones at the Mulliwaikkal ceremony.
 
Pressure to immediately reinstate the two interdicted employees:

The Killinochchi Citizens Club noted that the action taken by HNB to interdict two of their employees for holding a commemoration ceremony to mourn the Tamils killed during the war, has violated the trust placed in the bank by the Tamil people. Therefore, they demanded that  the two interdicted employees be reinstated immediately.

“Perhaps relatives of some of the bank employees could also have been killed during the unfortunate incident on May 18,” the Secretary of the Killinochchi Citizens Club Aingararasa Jeewanayagam told Radio Gagana.

“The state and private institutions in the entire North and East shared their grief with the Tamil people without any discrimination. But this interdiction by HNB is a very insensitive act.”

The Head of the Jaffna University Law Faculty Kumaravadivel Gurubaran, condemning the interdiction said it was an act of “Racism of the Sinhala Buddhist businesses”.

HNB was adjudged the best bank of the year in 2017 by ‘The Banker’ magazine, while its current Chairmanship is held by President's Counsel (PC) Rienzi Arsakularatne.