Judge reprimands Allaipiddy Investigations Officer

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 19 July 2006, 19:59 GMT]
Kayts district court Judge, Mr. Jeyaraman Trotsky during Tuesday's hearing into the alleged Sri Lankan Navy (SLN) killings of civilians in Allaipiddy in Jaffna islets, warned high ranking police officer Mahes Perera and his investigation team that charges of contempt to court may have to be brought against them for failing to appear before the Court, legal sources said. Mr Mahes Perera and his team are tasked to inquire into the Allaipiddy killings and to submit the inquiry report.

Defying the magistrate's order, the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) level officer Mahes Perera, failed to appear at Tuesday's hearing but produced to courts a faxed copy of his report through Kayts police saying that he is carrying out investigations from Colombo citing security concerns in government controlled Jaffna. This prompted the judge to issue the stern warning, legal sources said.

The judge ordered the investigating team leader Mr Mahes Perera to appear in person at the next hearing in Kayts and to submit the report of the inquires into the killings taking into consideration all his present and past directives, legal sources said.

Sellathurai Lillimalar and her daughter Sellathurai Violet, close relatives of the victims, told Judge Trotsky during their 19 May deposition that they can identify the two Sri Lankan Navy (SLN) troopers who carried out the killings of their relatives.

At the last hearing Mr Remedius, attorney for the victims, told Judge Trotsky that no attempt has yet been made by Sri Lankan Police to contact the witnesses who gave evidence earlier on the Allaipiddy massacre.

Sri Lanka Navy troopers are alleged to have killed more than thirteen civilians in the Islets off Jaffna of Allaipiddi, Velanai, and Puliyankoodal, in a rampage on 13 May.

In May, the Amnesty International slammed the Sri Lankan government as having a record of "disturbing pattern of incomplete or ineffective investigations" of the widespread extrajudicial killings in the north and east.

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