Paramilitary cadres abduct Batticaloa youth

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 June 2006, 00:23 GMT]
A group of men driving a white van abducted Thayaparan Subaraj, 18, of Thalankuda in Puthukudiyiruppu in the Batticaloa Kattankudi police division at 5:00 p.m. Tuesday, Kattankudi police said. Local witnesses said the abductors were paramilitaries belonging to Karuna group.

In a disturbing trend that has terrified parents more than 150 youths have been abducted in the last two weeks in Valaichenai, Mangkerni, Santhivelli, Kiran, Murakkotanchenai, Vandarumulai, Batticaloa and Iruthayapuram in the Batticaloa district, sources in Batticaloa said.

Most of the youths abducted are under 18 years of age and are alleged to have been taken by Karuna group to their paramilitary camp in Thivichenai for arms training, local residents said.

Not all parents have reported the abductions to the Police,

Police have not conducted any investigations on the abductions, and there have been no reports of any release, civil society sources said.