British Refugee Council reports that arbitrary arrests, abductions and disappearances continue, reports

"To us all towns are one, all men our kin.
Life's good comes not from others' gift, nor ill
Man's pains and pains' relief are from within.
Thus have we seen in visions of the wise !."
- Tamil Poem in Purananuru, circa 500 B.C

INDICTMENT AGAINST SRI LANKA

British Refugee Council reports continuing arbitrary arrests, abduction and disappearances...

"Amnesty International urged President Chandrika Kumaratunge in a letter on 31 August 2000 to investigate the increasing incidence of disappearances in Army-controlled northern Vavuniya District. Seven people arrested by the security forces between 10 and 26 August have disappeared bringing the total disappeared in Vavuniya town to nine.

In addition, many people have reportedly been held in secret detention for up to two or three weeks and subjected to torture.

Amnesty observes that the disappearances have taken place in the context of a general deterioration in human rights following the introduction of Emergency regulations on 3 May.

Velupillai Tharmalingam was arrested on 10 August at a checkpoint in Kovilkulam. His wife Yalini has informed the Human Rights Commission (HRC) that she made enquiries at the checkpoint, the Army headquarters and the police Counter Subversive Unit, but the security forces have denied arrest. Three days later, P Sivakumar was arrested at the Sastrikoolankulam refugee camp and he has disappeared. On 30 August, police arrested two people at the Poonthottam refugee camp. The following day, two others from Santhasolai and Thonikal were detained. Six youths, including a student, were taken into custody at Mathavuvythakulam on 3 August...

Speaking in Parliament in early August, Up Country Peoples Front MP, P Chandrasekaran said that the security forces abducted a Tamil woman at a checkpoint in the Colombo suburb of Maradana. The security forces had attacked her and another person and when she threatened to complain to higher authorities, she had been abducted. He urged Deputy Defence minister Anuruddha Ratwatte to take immediate measures to find the woman...

Tamils detained in the south and released, often lack identity documents to remain in Colombo or travel to the north-east. Colombo Tamil newspaper Virakesari reports about a young man who was arrested in 1995 when he came to the capital to go abroad. Security authorities took possession of his passport and NIC. A case was filed against him only in 1998. He was released in July, after the case was withdrawn. But the police have refused to return his documents and he is unable to go out of his residence and lives in fear of arrest..." (British Refugee Council, Sri Lanka Monitor, August 2000)