Justice Ministry Secretary visits Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 May 2008, 14:23 GMT]
Secretary to Sri Lanka Ministry of Justice and the Director for Rehabilitation, from Colombo arrived at Palaali Military Airport Wednesday morning and returned in the evening, sources in Jaffna said. The Secretary inspected Jaffna Prison where nearly 300 hundred persons are placed in protest custody due to death threats by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops and SLA-backed paramilitaries, and also other places related to the welfare of the inmates. Although the Director was expected to inspect the proposed Rehabilitation Centre at Kaarainakar held in Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) control, the plan was cancelled due to undisclosed reasons.

The Director was taken in an Armoured Personnel Carrier from Palaali to Jaffna under heavy escort, and visited Kokkuvil Technical College where he was welcomed by the Principal and the students.

He discussed the possibility of offering regular vocational training at Kookkuvil Technical College for the youths and family men placed in protest custody in Jaffna and about the future of these men.

Around 2:00 p.m, the Director next met the Government Agent of Jaffna Mr. K. Ganesh and other officials at the Jaffna Secretariat where matters related to the training activities, rehabilitation and the future of the persons placed in the protective custody in Jaffna Prison.

The Jaffna Prison he inspected the prison and learnt first hand about the condition of the inmates.

This was followed by an official meeting with the Magistrates in Jaffna at the newly built judicial complex in Jaffna town.

Before leaving the peninsula, the Director visited the SLA Rehabilitation Camp at Thellippa’lai in the SLA High Security Zone.

The move to relocate the persons placed in the protective custody in Jaffna Prison to a building in SLN held Kaarainakar that the Director was to discuss at Kaarainakar did not take place as was planned.

The said building, that was constructed at a cost of around 240 m rupees when late Maheswaran was the parliamentary representative for Jaffna district, had been lying abandoned, and is being renovated by SLN.