Four arrested in Vadamaradchi

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 September 1998, 08:59 GMT]
The SLA arrested four persons in the coastal villages of Vadamaradchi east during operations yesterday.

Three of these were taken by the army for questioning last morning, when troops cordoned off and searched the villages of Sembianpattu and Aaliyawalai.

Sources said that the army operation was in connection with some posters that appeared the night before in the name of the Liberation Tigers, warning people against any contact with the Sri Lankan security forces.

More than three hundred civilians from the villages were herded from their homes to the Sembinapattu community centre where they were screened and questioned around 9.30 a.m. in the morning said sources.

The army arrested Sathasivam Parathan, 42, of Sembiyanpattu, T.Vijayasanthiran ,24, of Aaliyawalai and Seemampillai Mariampillai, 50, of Kudaarappu and took them away for interrogation.

They were severely assaulted at the community centre by the SLA troops that arrested them sources said.

All three were released later in the evening they said. During another operation in the same area last evening around 4.30 p.m., SLA from the Thalaiyadi camp arrested a youth identified as Sebastianpillai Mariadavid in Maamunai.

He is yet to be released. His parents and relatives who ran wailing after him were chased away by the SLA troops who fired shots in the air.