Seven charged in Kamilitta case

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 12 July 2000, 11:55 GMT]
The police filed charge-sheets against seven Sri Lanka Army soldiers at the Mannar courts Tuesday, who allegedly raped and murdered a young woman, Ida Kamalitta, at Pallimunai in Mannar in July 1999. The police investigators submitted a list of witness and seven productions in support of the charges, legal sources in the north-western town said.

When the case was taken up for hearing on 20 July, the judge issued a warrant to arrest and produce in the courts five soldiers who the police said were serving in the Sri Lanka Army. Two suspects have already been arrested the police said.

However the five SLA soldiers were not produced in the courts yesterday.

The Attorney who represents the five absconding soldiers sent a telegram to the courts yesterday, stating that his clients were serving in the war-front and that he had sought Attorney-General's permission to transfer the case to another court.

The judge, Mr.Illancheliyan, however, issued an order again to arrest the five soldiers stating that the application was not produced in accordance with court's proceeding.

The judge also asked the police investigators why they have failed to charge the seven soldiers for rape despite there being strong evidence of it having occurred. The judge asked the police for an explanation and ordered the police to submit a charge sheet which included rape at the next hearing fixed for 25 July.

Ida Kamillita was 21, when soldiers from nearby Sunny Village camp entered her house in the early hours of 11 July 1999, and gang-raped and murdered her, according to a key witness.

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