"To us all towns are one, all men our kin. |
"To us all towns are one, all men our kin. |
| Home | Trans State Nation | Tamil Eelam | Beyond Tamil Nation | Comments |
Sri Lanka's Undeclared War on Eelam Tamils
...in the Shadow of a Ceasefire
|
| Soosaithas K Marinthiran (m), aged 31, laborer Sebastiampillai P Ruban (m), aged 24, bus conductor Balakrishnan Rajeevmohan, age 21, laborer Selvarajah Uthayarajah (m)  Soosaithas Marinthiran, Sebastiampillai Ruban, Balakrishnan Rajeevmohan and Selvarajah Uthayarajah have not been seen since being arrested in separate incidents in late December and early January on the Jaffna Peninsula in the far north of Sri Lanka. It is feared that they are at risk of ''disappearance'' and there are grave concerns for their safety.Soosaithas Marinthiran, Sebastiampillai Ruban and Balakrishnan Rajeevmohan were reportedly arrested by security forces personnel at their homes in the town of Ilavalai during the nights of 8, 9 and 10 January respectively. According to witnesses who saw Soosaithas Marinthiran and Balakrishnan Rajeevmohan being taken away, on both occasions the Sinhala-speaking security forces personnel were being assisted by some people speaking Tamil. The witnesses claim that some of those involved in the arrest or abduction were wearing plain clothes and that some had their faces partially covered with black cloth. The group arrived in two army vehicles and one white van. The current whereabouts of the three men and the reasons for their arrest are unknown. Relatives of the men made inquiries about their arrest and apparent ''disappearance'' to the army camp under the command of 513 Brigade of the Sri Lankan army in Ilavalai, but the army denied the arrests. The relatives also made inquiries at the Ilavalai police station, but were unable to obtain information concerning the men's whereabouts. When the Grama Sevaka (head of the village) of Arasadi and others inquired about Selvarajah Uthayarajah's detention, officials at Meesalai army camp told them that he would be released the following day. When he did not return home, relatives of Selvarajah Uthayarajah made further inquiries at the camp. They were told that he had been handed over to Vempiray army camp, which is situated about one and a half kilometres away from the Meesalai camp, and is under command of the Sri Lankan army's 52 Brigade. However, officials at the Vempiray army camp denied that he was there. Selvarajah Uthayarajah's relatives also inquired about his whereabouts at the police station in Chavakachcheri, the nearest large town, but were unable to obtain information about where he is detained. In February 2002, after two decades of conflict, the government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) entered into a cease-fire agreement and proceeded to hold a series of peace talks. These negotiations broke down in April 2003 and have stalled since then. Recently, amid fears of a return to war, both sides have agreed in principle to meet to discuss implementation of the cease-fire agreement but have not agreed on a venue or date for talks. Norway, which is facilitating the peace process, is sending its Special Envoy, Erik Solheim, to Sri Lanka on 23 January. — urging the authorities to make public the whereabouts of the four men named above; |
