Magistrate calls for emergency regulations compliance

[TamilNet, Saturday, 22 May 1999, 20:59 GMT]
Mr. M.Ilancheliyan, the Mannar district magistrate, has written to the military official in charge of Madhu and Iranai Iluppaikulam asking for the details of any civilians who have been arrested from the area.

Copies of the letter have been sent to the Attorney General and have also been displayed on the Mannar district court notice board.

The letter refers to emergency regulation 19(5) that obliges officers in charge of detention camps to provide the district courts with details of suspects arrested by the Police and the SLA on a fortnightly basis.

The letter listed the five authorised places of detention in Mannar; Thallady, Murunkan, the Police Stations at Mannar and Thalaimannar and the Counter Subversive Unit of the Police in Mannar.

As the Madhu area is now under the administration of the SLA any clashes, murders or attempted murders should be reported to the Police at Murunkan as the area falls under the judicial district of Mannar, said the magistrate in his letter to the SLA official.

The letter urged that if anyone had been arrested after the capture of Madhu the courts should be informed and pointed out that the courts had not been informed of any arrests so far.

Mr. M.Ilancheliyan also said that under emergency regulation 18(7) the details of any person arrested by the Police or SLA should be made known to the officer in charge of the division from which the arrests were made within 24 hours of the arrest.

Meanwhile, sources said that more than 20 youths arrested in Iranai Illuppaikulam are being detained at the Counter Subversive Unit of the Police in Vavuniya.