2ND LEAD

20 Tamil detainees on fast unto death campaign in Colombo

[TamilNet, Saturday, 24 February 2007, 14:29 GMT]
Twenty Tamil detainees, taken into custody by the Sri Lankan police and military since 2003 and detained in the Magazine prison in Colombo, are on a fast-unto-death campaign for the fourth day Saturday, urging the Sri Lankan authorities to expedite the investigations against them or release them if there were no charges against them. The health condition of five of the fasting detainees has worsened, according to Tamil National Alliance parliamentarians who visited the prison Saturday.

The TNA parliamntraains Sivanathan Kishore, P.Ariyanethran, T.Kanagsabai and Chandrakanthan Chandra Nehru visited the prison in Borella Saturday morning.

On Friday, a team of officials from the office of the non-cabinet Justice Minister Dilan Perera visited the prison upon request from the TNA parliamentarians. But, the prison authorities had turned down their request to inspect the welfare of the prisoners at the entrance to the prison, stating there was no hunger strike inside the prison, the TNA parliamentarians who visited the prison told media Saturday.

The fasting Tamil detainees are:

• Perinpanathan Kangatharan, Batticaloa.
• Arumugam Senthilkumar, Jaffna.
• Isidor Arokyanathan, Kotahena.
• Muthaiah Sahathevan, Kirilapone.
• Iyampillai Rajkumar, Boganthalawa.
• Manickam Thamilinian, Pasarai.
• Solaimalai Jegatheeswaran, Mannar.
• Murugathas Sivaroopan, Jaffna.
• Thevarajah Kirupakaran, Mannar.
• Thankarasa Surenthiran, Wellampity.
• Rohithan Thineshkumar, Vavuniya.
• Arumugam Sashikumar, Kilinochchi.
• Kanthasamy Paheerathan, Poonery.
• Anthony Sathiyanathan, Mulankavil.
• Rangan Janahan, Badulla.
• Sebestian Sohaspiriyan, Batticaloa.
• Rathinam Ananantharajah, Mallakam.
• Mahendran Puvitharan, Batticaloa.
• Mahenthirarasa Paranthaman, Batticaloa.
  
  

Chronology: