Vavuniya HRC records 55 complaints

[TamilNet, Saturday, 22 July 2000, 21:00 GMT]
Human Rights Commission (HRC) in Vavuniya received 55 complaints regarding arrests by the Sri Lanka Army and Police during July. The HRC has not been able to find the whereabouts of three of them. Thirty-three are detained by the security forces, and 19 have been released after being questioned, Mr.Sreetharan, the Chairman of the HRC in Vavuniya said today.

According to Mr.Sreetharan, 15 of the detainees are held by the Sri Lanka Army, 12 by the Counter Subversive Unit (CSU) in Vavuniya, and 2 by Anti- Terrorism Unit in Colombo. He further said one of them is detained by police in Dematogoda and another by Monaragala police. One person has joined an ex-militant group operating in Vavuniya, and one has been arrested by the Vavuniya police on criminal charges, Mr.Sreetharan added.

According to Mr.Sreetharan, following persons have not been traced by the HRC.

1.Arulmalar Thavaloganathan,12, of Bharathiyar Lane; Koomankulam, She is a student at the Vipulananda Mahavidyalayam. 2. Gnanenthiran Gnanapirakasam, 35, of Thirunavatkulam in Thandikulam 3. Sasikumar Thillainathan,26. He was staying at Easwaran Lodge in Tharmalingam Road, from where he travelled to Colombo.

Meanwhile, minor employees of the Vavuniya Town Council called off their strike Saturday afternoon following assurances given by the police that Shanmugam Krishnamoorthy would be produced in the Courts on Monday.

Krishnamoorthy an employee of the Vavuniya Town Council was arrested on 19 July. Minor employees of the Council went on a strike Friday.

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