Five civilians reported missing in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 25 March 2008, 15:25 GMT]
A complaint has been lodged Tuesday morning with Batticola police, International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) and Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission (SLHRC) that two masons from Chinna Oo'ra'ni area within Batticaloa city police division have gone missing on Sunday. Meanwhile, two civilians from Ma'nmunai area and one from Kokkuvil area are said to have disappeared recently and no information is available regarding their whereabouts, sources in the region said.

The two left their residences in Chinna oo'ra'ni Sunday afternoon on a motor bike towards Theaththaath-theevu for construction work in a school in that area, but they never reached the school, relatives said.

The missing masons have been identified as Ledchumanan Thevasanchayan, 22, and Perinparasa Puvibalan, 33, father of three children. It is suspected that these two might have been arrested by Special Task Force (STF) commandos but STF have denied any involvement in their disappearance.

Chinna Oo'ra'ni is located 3 km North East of Batticaloa and Theaththaath-theevu is located 20 km south of Batticaloa.

STF commandos, now being withdrawn for deployment for beefing up security in North Central Province, below Ma'nalaa'ru battlefront have been involved in various acts of intimidation in Batticola district, but the people are afraid to report these incidents at the police stations or notify the volunteer organizations, sources added.