Ex-LTTE cadres complain harassment by SLA soldiers

[TamilNet, Thursday, 21 October 2004, 23:33 GMT]
The Jaffna regional office of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) has received several complaints of soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army harassing Tamil youths who have left the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and have joined their parents and families. Ex-LTTE youths are becoming increasingly wary of living with their families because of intimidation and threat by SLA soldiers, human rights sources said.

A youth who left LTTE and living with his family at Valigamam south west division is daily being threatened by the SLA soldiers located in the village. The particular youth registered a complaint with the HRCSL Jaffna regional office that a group of soldiers of the nearby camp coming to his house during nights and intimidating his family with death and exerting pressure on him to come to 51 Brigade headquarters located near his residence, HRCSL sources said.

Former LTTE cadres who come to Jaffna and leave to Vanni through Muhamalai checkpoint are also threatened by soldiers located there under the guise of body check and investigation, a complaint to the Jaffna HRCSL office revealed.