Sexual assault at Kopay SLA camp suspected, says TNA MP

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 February 2006, 02:25 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Jaffna district parliamentarian S Gajendran brought to the attention of Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapakse that residents in Kopay strongly suspect sexual assaults on women are taking place inside a Kopay Sri Lanka Army (SLA) camp, the parliamentarian told the local media, Tuesday. Several residents of the area had complained to the parliamentarian that they had heard a woman screaming for several minutes inside the camp at 5 p.m. Tuesday.

The Kopay SLA camp is located in Tharavai area along the Kopay-Kaithadi road in Valigamam East in front of a memorial of martyred LTTE woman cadre Malathy. The road is only sparingly used by pedestrians and vehicles during the day, and is almost deserted during the night hours, residents of the area said.

Gajendran told the press that President Rajapakse had contacted Sri Lanka's Jaffna commander Maj.Gen.Chandrasiri who had assured the President that he will conduct an investigation into the alleged incident.

Kopay residents expressed alarm at the deteriorating security situation in Jaffna. Mr Gajendran said he feared that any new incident of rape by the SLA troopers in the wake of killing of young Punguduthivu woman, Tharsini, and the abduction and later release of a school girl in Thirunelvely, Jaffna, will push Sri Lanka further towards war.

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