location: Colombo
notes: Police in Sri Lanka fired tear gas and used water cannons against thousands of students demonstrating against the Southern Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine (SAITM) and the issue of private medical education in Colombo on May 17. About 5,000 university students defied an official ban on the demonstration and marched through the capital of Colombo to a city park. Over 21 people, including 5 policemen, were admitted to a hospital and another 10 arrested following the clash.
target_text: location: Colombo, fatalities: 0