61 Tamils still held in Colombo, 254 remain in Boosa

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 May 2008, 11:13 GMT]
About 61 Tamil civilians arrested in Colombo in several cordon and search operations last few weeks are still being detained in several police stations in Colombo, civil society sources said. 25 are being detained in police stations at Dehiwala, Wellawatte and Kohuwela, 15 at Weliveriya, and 21 are held in Kotahena. All detainees had valid national identity cards, but were taken into custody because of their Tamil nationality, media reports said quoting complaints forwarded by their relatives to P.Radhakrishnan, Colombo district parliamentarian representing the Upcountry Peoples Front (UPF).

A Tamil civilian Selliah Sriram, 50, a father of two children and native of Badulla, presently residing along St.Jude Mawatte in Modera was arrested on Thursday by the Kotahena police and is being detained at Blumenthal police station in Colombo, according to complaints lodged by his wife Devaki with the Kotahena Police.

He had been running a job agency in Colombo. Police said he is being detained on a complaint that he has sent a member of the LTTE abroad through his agency.

According parliamentarian Radhakrishnan, since January 1 till May 10 this year, 84 Tamil civilians had been abducted and 18 of them were later released and returned home. 9 persons are being detained in Harbour Police Station and CID office.

Meanwhile, 254 Tamil civilians including women, majority of them upcountry Tamils, are now being detained in Boosa detention centre for nine months to one year, said Mr.Radhakrishnan.

He said a delegation of the UPF is to meet President Mahinda Rajapakse shortly to get them released.