Trader, son seek protection with Jaffna HRC

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 04 March 2008, 14:10 GMT]
A trader and his 20-year-old son from Thenmaraadchi sought protection with Human Rights Commission (HRC) Jaffna office Tuesday due to death threats by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops and SLA-backed paramilitaries. Number of people seeking HRC protection from Thenmaraadchi area has risen sharply in the recent past, HRC sources said.

The father, a trader, 55, and his son, 25, a student, complained to HRC that they were threatened to death during nights at their home several times.

Though SLA in Jaffna say that youths placed in the protective custody of Jaffna prison, willing leave the prison to be placed in the SLA run rehabilitation centre in Thellipa’lai, persons continue to seek protection with Jaffna HRC due to death threats by SLA troops, legal society sources in Jaffna said.

Family members of 44 youths who were recently allowed to leave Jaffna prison complained 27 February to a Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian that they had paid sums of up to Rs.70,000 to brokers acting as intermediaries between the relatives and the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) personnel in Jaffna, to obtain the youths' release.

Meanwhile, Major. Gen. G. A. Chandrasiri, claimed that the youths had confessed to being members of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and had accepted to undergo rehabilitation at the Reformation and Rehabilitation Centre in Thellippa’lai, under SLA supervision.