Colombo court releases Tamil youth arrested in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 November 2007, 07:24 GMT]
A Tamil youth arrested by soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army stationed in Kodikaamam on June 27 last year was released by the Colombo Chief Magistrate Friday after 16 months in remand under the Emergency Regulations.

The suspect Kanapathipillai Girishanthan, 26, a construction labourer was taken into custody during a cordon and search operation conducted by government troops. He is a native of Measalai located in Kodikaamam in Jaffna district.

He was later handed over first to the Kodikaamam police and then to the Kankesanthurai police by the SLA on a report that explosives and a suicide jacket had been recovered from a house on information supplied by the suspect.

The suspect was then taken to Colombo where the Terrorist Intelligence Division subjected him to interrogation. Thereafter the Colombo Chief Magistrate ordered remand for him on a report furnished by the Defence Ministry under the Emergency Regulations.

The Attorney General at the later stage instructed the Terrorist Intelligence Division to release the suspect, as there was no evidence to implicate him with any offence under the ER, legal sources said.

Senior Counsel Dr. Thiyagar Thirunavukarasu with senior attorney Velupillai Ponnambalam appeared for the suspect.