Court orders remand for 45 suspects arrested under PTA, ER

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 November 2009, 10:17 GMT]
Colombo Chief Magistrate Nishantha Hapuarachchi Monday ordered remand till November 12 for forty-five suspects, majority of them Tamils, arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and Emergency Regulations (ER) for allegedly being involved in terrorist activities in the hill country in the central province. They were produced in court after being interrogated by the CID held under the detention order of the Defence Ministry. Some of the suspects are Muslims and Sinhalese, sources in Colombo said.

CID officers told court that they arrested the suspects on receipt of information that they had under gone training under Liberation Tigers in Mullaiththeevu and had been told to work for them. The suspects had even provided shelter and other facilities in the hill country to Liberation Tigers, they said.

CID said they had recorded confessions made by the suspects detailing their involvement in terrorist activities and moved court to remand the suspects until the conclusion of the investigations.

The Magistrate postponed further hearings for November 12 and remanded the suspects.