4 disappearances, 4 abductions in 48 hours in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 March 2007, 16:42 GMT]
Human Rights Commission (HRC) offices in Jaffna reported Sunday that four youths have disappeared and four others have been abducted from their houses by armed men wearing black uniforms in the last 48 hours, sources in Jaffna said. Jaffna residents are gripped with fear as abductions by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and SLA-backed paramilitaries under Mahinda Rajapakse Government have exceeded the dangerous levels witnessed during Colombo's 1997 counter-insurgency campaign, civil society sources said.

Four youths who had set out from their homes to Jaffna town from different suburbs on different errands disappeared Saturday, according to HRC complaints filed by the relatives. Details of the youths are:

• Jeyachandran Prathap, 29, from Rasa Veethy (road) in Atchuvely,
• Maiyoor Chandramohan, 27, from Aavarangal in Puthur,
• Devadas Christy Prasanna, 26, from Kovil Veethy (road), Nalllur, and
• Balasingham Surendran, 25, Sivan Veethy (road), Thirunelvely.

The four youths are not related and independently had come to Jaffna and have not returned home, according to relatives.

Meanwhile, four youths were abducted during the last two days in Jaffna district, according to HRC officials.

• Jesuthasan Jeyasuthan, 25, from Nethar Lane in Manipay was abducted at 4:30 a.m. Sunday by armed men who entered his house in Manipay, according to relatives,
• Paramsamy Visaharan, 25, was abducted from his home Saturday,
• Marimuththu Kumutharaj, 28, from Kandy Road, Ariyalai was abducted by armed men at 4:45 a.m. Sunday, and
• Amirthalingam Alaheswaran, 29, was abducted at 9:00 p.m. Saturday from Nedunkulam, Ariyalai Jaffna, HRC officials reported.

Sri Lanka has come under close scrutiny by the international community, including the US, as palpable sense of terror pervades Jaffna district with increasing disappearances, killings and abductions.

Chronology:


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External Links:

Amnesty:		Sri Lanka: The continuing spectre of "disappearances"
HRW:		Humans Right Watch World Report 1998: Sri Lanka
USGov:		Sri Lanka: Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2006