Tamils from Europe harassed

[TamilNet, Thursday, 24 September 1998, 20:53 GMT]
The friends and relatives of Kalirajah Thirugnanaseelan, 31, a Danish citizen appealed to Tamil Parliamentarians today that he was being unduly detained by the Sri Lankan Police since his arrival in Colombo on Sunday September 20.

They said Kalirajah is from Mutur, south of Trincomalee in the eastern province and had settled down in Denmark ten years ago.

He had arrived in Colombo by Balkan Airlines flight LZ 2581 on Sunday around 11.30 a.m.

He had been detained, according to his relatives, by the Terrorism Investigation Department (TID).

The detaining authorities had sought a bribe of seventy five thousand Sri Lankan rupees from the relatives who were at the airport to receive Kalirajah, alleged one of his friends this afternoon.

He said that fifteen thousand rupees was paid immediately as that was the only amount Kalirajah's relatives had at the time.

However, the money was returned later through a middleman who had deducted two thousand rupees for his assistance.

They charged that Kalirajah is being detained illegally.

Meanwhile an immigration officer at the Colombo International airport is reported to have torn the passport of a Tamil passenger for not 'donating' to a television to him as he had demanded, said sources.

The incident occurred when Mr. Sinnathmaby Muthulingm, a Tamil living in Switzerland, arrived at the Colombo airport on September 19.