Tamil civilian arrested at KIA still under detention

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 August 2009, 07:28 GMT]
A Tamil civilian attached to Mannaar Education Office who was taken into custody by police at Katunayake International Airport (KIA) in Colombo is held under detention by Terrorist Intelligence Division (TID) since 28 June, according to complaints by his wife to Colombo police and human rights organizations. She said her husband was taken into custody by the police saying that he was to attend a meeting organized by Seeman, a film director in South India in Chennai.

The arrested person is Somasuntharam Mahendran, 55, a driver in Mannaar Education Office and a resident of Uppukku’lam in Mannaar district.

His wife, Mahendran Rajeswary said in her complaint that Mahendran was about to leave to Chennai at the time of his arrest.

Mahendran is suffering from chronic illness, she said.

She also said she and her daughter had been living in Chennai and her husband used to visit them.