Another Christian priest reported missing in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 24 August 2006, 23:48 GMT]
A priest of Christian Church of the Apostle has been reported missing in Jaffna since August 11, according to a complaint made by a fellow priest at the Jaffna office of Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission. Rev. Fr. Vincent Vinodharaja, 35, father of one, had left his home at Ellaiththeru village in Meesalai in Thenmaradchi, Jaffna, on August 11. He is the second priest to be reported missing since the fighting broke out in Jaffna.

Head of the Sri Lanka Church of the Apostle in Jaffna, Rev. Fr. Nalliah Jeyarajah, has filed a complaint at the SLHRC office in Jaffna.

Rev.Fr. Thiruchelvam Nihal Jim Brown, 34, the Parish Priest of Allaippiddy, was earlier reported missing since 20 August 2006.

A lay person, Mr.Wenceslaus Vincent Vimalan, age 38 who accompanied Fr. Jim Brown is also reported missing.

Fr. Jim Brown was assisting the families in Allaipiddy area to move towards safer areas and worked with Sri Lanka Red Cross (SLRC) and Acting Magistrate Srinithi Nandasegaran to transfer the wounded from Allaipiddy where artillery shells had hit a Church with Internally Displace People and many were reported killed in the area.

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