Refugee 'disappeared' in Mannar

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 02 February 1999, 13:13 GMT]
Subramaniam Ekambaram (44), a displaced person from Jaffna who had sought refuge Eluthoor in Mannar has been reported missing after he was arrested by the Mannar police on December 26 last year, said human rights sources.

According to his wife, he was arrested while he was at a shop in Mannar town. The Police had told her that he would be released in two weeks time.

However, when she approached the police again they denied any knowledge of the arrest. She has made a complaint to the Bishop of Mannar.

Meanwhile the Sri Lankan Army arrested three youths during a search operation in Uduppiddy, Thondamanaaru, Imaiyaanan and Valvai in the Vadamaradchi area of the Jaffna peninsula yesterday. The search operation which began in the early hours of the morning went on till 1.30 p.m. said sources.

The arrested youths are: Ampihapathy Arulkumar, 27, Ampihapathy Sasikumar, 25, and Sithiravel Chandrakumar, 24.

The SLA conducted also search operations in the Kulappiddy and Thaavadi areas of the peninsula yesterday, the sources said.

Elsewhere in the peninsula the SLA arrested Veeran Kanthasamy from his home at Gurunakar.