Detainee's death declared as suicide

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 November 1998, 17:02 GMT]
The coroner of Colombo, Edward Ahangama, who conducted the inquest into the death of Mr.Rasanayagam Uthayakumar,44, declared that he committed suicide by hanging himself. Uthayakumar was arrested by the Sri Lankan Army (SLA) at Nayanmarkaddu in Jaffna on October 23. The SLA handed over his body to the Jaffna Hospital on October 28.

The Judicial Medical Officer (JMO) Dr. Alwis who conducted the post-mortem in Colombo yesterday said in his report there were signs of internal wounds on posterior of the body, and he died of suffocation caused due to hanging.

Mr. Uthayakumar's body will be cremated in Colombo today. The body could not be transported to Jaffna as it is in a decomposed stage said sources.

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