Allaippiddi massacre witnesses fear travel to Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 03 October 2007, 14:55 GMT]
Witnesses to identify Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) personnel alleged to have massacred 13 civilians at Allaipiddy last year did not appear at Kayts Court Tuesday for fear of their lives, Attorney-at-law, S. Remedias, appearing on their behalf, informed Additional Magistrate R. T. Vignarajah at the inquiry into Allaipiddy massacre case. The witnesses, presently living in Ki'linochchi in Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) controlled area, fear to travel through Vavuniyaa and then sail from Trincomalee to Jaffna as they are afforded security only in Jaffna peninsula, the lawyer told the courts.

The magistrate postponed inquiry into the case and the identification parade to 16 October.

Mr. R. T. Vignarajah, who is also the magistrate of Jaffna court, said that the security afforded in Jaffna peninsula covers Vavuniyaa, Trincomalee areas too and ordered the police to arrange for the security of the witnesses enabling them to travel all the way to Jaffna peninsula.

The witnesses who alleged they had seen SLN involvement in the Allaippiddi massacre had fled from Jaffna peninsula to Ki'linochchi, fearing for their lives, legal sources said.

Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) troopers from Ma'ndaitheevu Sri Lanka Navy camp surrounded a civilian house in Allaippiddi in Ma'ndaitheevu islet, west of Jaffna, on 13 May 2006 around 8:30 p.m. and opened fire killing 8 civilians, including a four months old baby and a four year old son, and their parents on the spot. One of the wounded succumbed to his wounds at Jaffna hospital. 13 civilians were killed in Jaffna islets on that day.