PTA detainess released

[TamilNet, Thursday, 21 September 2000, 14:52 GMT]
Three youths who were arrested by the Sri Lanka Army soldiers and detained for nearly one year under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) were released by the Batticaloa High Court on Wednesday, while it sentenced another youth to 6 months rigorous imprisonment.

Kandaiah Suthakaran,19, of Siththandy was arrested in 1999. He was charged with not informing the security forces about the movements of LTTE members identified as Ravikumar and Moorthy. The youth pleaded guilty in the courts.

A.N.Ramachandran, the High Court Judge sentenced Suthakaran to 6 months rigorous imprisonment. However, the Courts ordered the release of the youth as he had already been held under arrest for nearly one year.

Meanwhile the Court ordered the release of Kulanthaivel Sivapalan, Sellathamby Shankar and Mylvakanam Mariyathas alias Badulla Kumara, after the State Council R.Kannan withdrew charges against them.

Kulanthaivel Sivapalan,35, of Jeyanthipuram, Batticaloa was charged with not informing the security forces of the movements of LTTE members, including one of them who was identified as Kandasamy.

Sellathamby Shankar of Vaakarai was charged with collecting funds for the Liberation Tigers.

The police charged Mylvakanam Mariyathas of Kaluwankerny with receiving military training with the Liberation Tigers and with causing deaths to Sri Lanka Army soldiers at Pooneryn.

The three were charged solely on confessions they had made to the police. The State Council told the Courts that he was withdrawing charges against the youths as the Police Officer who recorded their statements had died.