Arrests of Tamils in upcountry areas escalate

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 February 2007, 00:15 GMT]
Sri Lanka police arrested 11 Tamils in during a search operation at 4:00 a.m Monday at Lunugala Upper Division in Poonagala, Bandarawella, while Karantheniya police arrested 4 youths returning in a lorry from Galle, sources in Bandarawela said. Meanwhile, Koswathe and Karruvakadu police each arrested one plantation Tamil youth Monday, sources said.

The 11 persons arrested at Poonagala are: P. Sivalingam, 60, retired worker, K. Kathirval, 54, retired worker, K. Mylvaganam, 45, retired worker, M. Viswanathan Vijenthiran, 26, S. Johnson, 26, M. Stalin, 38, P. Selvakumar, 25, K. Puniyamoorthy, 32, K. Mylvaganam, 45, M. Viswanathan, 30 and S. Pushparaj, 32.

Tension prevailed in the area following the arrests, and the matter was brought to the notice of P. Rathakrishnan, Deputy minister and Upcountry Peoples' Front (UPF) parliamentarian.

The arrested persons are being interrogated by Bandarawella police Officer-in-charge, Rasika Ratnayake who had promised to release the detainees soon after the interrogation, according to the Deputy minister.

The 4 youths arrested while returning from Galle are: Muthu Inpathayalan, 22, Asok Vijayaratnam, 24, Velu Chandramoorthy, 20 and Krishnasamy Parthipan, 25.

A Muslim youth Mohamed San, 28, and a Sinhalese youth V.S.A.Kavaris were also arrested along with the above four youths, according to complaints made by Jinthupitty Organiser of the UPF, Sivakumar, to the Deputy Minister.

The Deputy minister has contacted Karantheniya police Officer-in-charge, S. Jeyapathma to have the arrested released, sources added.

The arrested were returning from Galle where they had been affixing name boards for shops.

Parents of Ratnasamy Thiyagarajah, 24 of Thalawakelle estate and Periyasamy Thurairajah, 22, from Marathanai Second division, Balangoda have complained to the Deputy minister that Karruvakadu police arrested Thiyagarajah while Thurairajah was arrested by Koswathe police.