Seven detained over Point Pedro claymore attack

[TamilNet, Sunday, 08 January 2006, 13:33 GMT]
Seven residents of different Point Pedro suburbs who disappeared after being arrested by the Sri Lanka security after the Claymore ambush on a Sri Lanka Army convoy near the Regional Bus Depot, south of Point Pedro town which killed twelve Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers are found to be detained in Point Pedro Police station, security sources said. Mr.Rohitha Priyatharsana, Jaffna regional co-ordinator of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) visited the detainees Sunday, according to civil society sources.

The suspectes were arrested under the prevailing Emergency Regulations with special permission from the Defense Ministry, security sources said.

The details of the detainees are:

• Markandu Thiruneelan, 18, Nellandai, Thumpalai
• Tharmarajah Kugathas, 31, Thumpalai,
• Pulendran Nagendran, 23, Nelliady, Karaveddi,
• Somasundaram Santhakumar, 28, Point Pedro,
• George Ramodi, 41, 3rd Cross Street, Point Pedro,
• Pakiyanathan Kamalakannan, 25, Point Pedro, and
• Pathmanathan Manoharan, 31, Point Pedro

After the claymore attack, a group that identifies itself as "The Roaring Peoples Force," has claimed responsibility for the various attacks that have taken place in Sri Lanka Army controlled area stating that the attacks were in retaliation to the SLA and SLN violence that has claimed the lives of civilans.

Meanwhile, twenty-eight people have been reported as missing to the Human Rights Commission in the last two weeks, civil sources said. They added the numbers are much higher with many disappearences go unreported to the Rights Commission. Majority of the disappeared are from Manipay, Koolavady, Nelliady and Point Pedro, civil sources said.