Family man abducted, another seeks HRC protection, in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 October 2007, 22:34 GMT]
Unidentified armed men abducted a family man from his house in the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) High Security Zone (HSZ) in Jaffna Wednesday around 6:00 p.m, according to complaints made by his family members to Human Rights Commission (HRC) Jaffna. Meanwhile, a father of four children from Changkaanai in Valikaamam sought protection Thursday with the HRC due to continuous death threats from unidentified armed men on motor cycles alleged to be Sri Lanka Army (SLA) backed paramilitaries, HRC sources said.

The family man abducted Wednesday evening was identified as Nadarasa Ramalingam, 44, the father of 5 children and a resident of Five Junction, Maanipaay road in Jaffna.

The family man who sought protection with the HRC Thursday is 38 years old and the father of 4 children, from Changkaanai in Valikaamam.

Meanwhile, the United Nations High Commissioner for human rights, Ms. Louise Arbour is expected to arrive in Jaffna Friday.

She is scheduled to meet the representatives of the Peoples Committee for Peace and Goodwill (PCPG), the Non-government Organizations besides members of Jaffna civil society, at Jaffna Bishops House Friday, PCPG sources said.

Arrangements have been made by HRC Jaffna and PCPG for the relatives of the abducted and missing persons in Jaffna to meet Ms. Louis Arbour and convey the widespread human rights violations in Jaffna peninsula, HRC sources said.

Civil society sources in Jaffna said that SLA has deployed troops in large numbers around Jaffna Bishops House since Thursday to create fear among the relatives of the victims, and thereby to stop them attending the meeting.