12 Tamil youths arrested in Colombo sent to Boosa camp

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 23 January 2007, 10:04 GMT]
Twelve of Tamil youths arrested on suspicion and detained in four police stations in Colombo were suddenly transferred to Boosa Detention Camp in Galle in the southern province Monday. They were among several Tamil civilians, majority of them natives of Jaffna and upcountry Tamil plantations arrested by government security forces in Colombo and its suburbs during several cordon and search operations conducted recently, and detained in several police stations in the capital city, media sources in Colombo said.

The twelve youths were first taken to Bambalapitiya police station Monday, and later sent to Boosa detention camp under heavy security.

Those taken include a girl, a member of a media organization, an undergraduate, and an old person suffering from acute heart disease.

They were taken to Boosa despite reports by police intelligence units after interrogation indicated that they were not involved in any unlawful activities, civil rights sources in Colombo said.

The government established the detention camp in Boosa in 1971 to detain suspects arrested following the first insurrection by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP).

Boosa detention camp was again used to detain suspects in 1981 following the second insurrection of the JVP.

From 1987 many Tamil youths arrested in the North East were detained in Boosa camp.

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