Mannar court releases refugees, orders remand for two youths

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 September 2005, 18:39 GMT]
Thirteen persons rescued by the Sri Lanka Navy when Indian boatmen left them on a sandbank in Mannar Sea were produced in Mannar Magistrates' Court by Talaimannar Police Wednesday. Talaimannar Police submitted report to court stating that of the thirteen persons, eleven are genuine refugees and the rest two youths were not, legal sources said.

Police further told court those youths were not having any documents to substantiate that they were refugees and were staying in refugee camps in South India. Hence police moved for remand for these two youths to enable the police to conduct further investigation. The Police further moved for the release of other eleven who are genuine refugees, legal sources said.

According to police investigations the two youths were frequently traveling between Mannar and South India for business purposes, sources said.

The Magistrate Mr.N.M.M.Abdullah ordered the release of eleven refugees who fled from Sri Lanka during 1990 military operation from Vavuniya and Mannar areas and ordered remand for two youths Nadaraja Sutharsan (20) and Marimuthu Kanagaretnam (20) till September 21, legal sources said.

Thirteen persons left Rameswaran in South India on September 5th around 11 a.m. in three Indian boats towards Mannar shore. Boatmen left them on a sandbank on September 6 early morning around 5 a.m stating that they had reached Mannar shore. A patrol craft of the SLN arrested them from the sandbank on September 6th morning around 9 a.m. and handed over to Talaimannar Police for further investigation, Police said.