Four arrested in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 April 1999, 18:34 GMT]
The SLA arrested Vincent Anthonythaas, 23, of 4th Cross Street in Pt.Pedro at around 4.00 p.m. yesterday while he was at his work in an ice cream parlour in the town. Seven of his co-workers were asked to report to the Pt.Pedro jetty army camp this afternoon.

Sources in the town said that the PLOTE was behind the arrests.

The members of this paramilitary group had visited the owner of the ice cream parlour, Gunams Cream House, on Wednesday March 31, and had demanded that he pay them a large sum of money as a 'contribution'.

They had threatened the owner when he had refused to pay.

The same day a soldier had come and asked for ice blocks. The owner had refused to give him the ice blocks free of charge.

Yesterday the army came looking for the Gunams Cream House owner but arrested Anthonythaas when they found him missing.

Another Tamil political group that is also active in the area said that the PLOTE appears to have instigated the army to make the arrests.

Sources in Pt.Pedro said that the PLOTE's local leader, V. Vijayaratnam alias Chellakili master who is also the Urban Council chairman has close relations with the local SLA commander.

Meanwhile two youths were arrested by the SLA at the Atchuvely main bus stand in Jaffna last night.

The army said the youths, Navaratnam Ananthagopan, 22, and Kaneshamoorthy Thavananthan, 24 of Sirupiddy west, Neervely, were taken into custody because they were found to be moving about suspiciously late at night near the Atchuvely bus stand.

The army also arrested Subramaniam Markandu, 31, at his residence in Sangathanai, Chavakachcheri on March 30.

The SLA said that he was suspected of having links with the Liberation Tigers.