More bodies appear in Mannar town

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 April 2000, 05:34 GMT]
The bodies of three youth were found in Mannar town this morning. All of them were shot in the head said Police sources in Mannar. The Sri Lanka army's military intelligence unit had arrested several youth in the Mannar town yesterday residents said. This is the second time during the week that bodies of unidentified youth have appeared in the high security zone of Mannar town. All bodies were found with gunshot wounds.

The body of a youth, about 19-20 years old, was found blind folded and shot in the head, wearing a sarong and shirt, was found on Hospital road this morning. Two bodies were found in a lane in Periyakadai near the Mannar Police station.

The TamilNet's Mannar correspondent said that no one has so far complained to the local ICRC or the Human Rights Commission office about persons gone missing. He said that the youth may have come from the LTTE controlled parts of the Mannar mainland to buy goods in the town for trading. It will be some time before their kith and kin come in search of them he added.

The bodies of two youth were found in Eluthtoor, a suburb of Mannar town, on Saturday, April 8. These too had gun shot wounds.

A Human rights activist in Mannar said that the killings could not have taken place in the heart of Mannar town's high security zone without the knowledge of the Police or the army.