SLA takes away 65 detainees including students to Thellippa’lai Camp

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 07 April 2009, 17:01 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers forcibly took away Saturday and Sunday 65 detainees including students from three SLA detention centres in Jaffna district where civilians fleeing war in Vanni were held, sources in Jaffna said. The soldiers took away the 65 detainees to the SLA Special Rehabilitation Camp (SRC) in Thellippa’lai claiming they were involved in terrorist activities. Though this matter was expected to be raised in the Tuesday meeting in Jaffna Secretariat held to discuss the problems faced by the inmates in the SLA detention centres, none of the representatives of the local and international organizations serving the interests of children, including UNICEF and the education officials, had mentioned the abduction of the detainees by SLA soldiers during the week-end, Jaffna Secretariat sources said.

SLA soldiers had forced the family members of the 65 detainees to sign documents that said that the detainees were being taken to the SLA Thellippa’lai SRC on their own wish, local NGO sources said.

27 detainees from SLA detention centre in Mirusuvil Roaman Catholic Church premises, 9 from Kodikaamam Government Tamil Mixed School (GTMS) detention centre and 29 from Koappaay Teachers’ Training College hostel detention centre were taken away by the soldiers. Most of the detainees taken away are students, they added.

The Tuesday meeting in Jaffna Secretariat presided by Jaffna Government Agent (GA) K. Ganesh was attended by Divisional Secretaries, local and international NGOs including UNICEF, Seva Lanka and Jafnna Education Officials in Jaffna district.

The meeting was specially held to consider the problems and needs faced by the detainees in the SLA detention centres in Jaffna district including inadequate food and the lack of basic facilities.

Seva Lanka organization had consented to issue the fuel needed for the detainees for their lamps, in the meeting.

On Sunday SLA soldiers forcibly took away eleven students held along with their parents in the SLA detention camp in Koappaay Teacher Training College hostel, according to Education officials who visited the detention centre Monday.