Elderly woman held over scenic prints

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 December 1997, 23:59 GMT]
Sellaiah Thavamanithevi, a sixty year old Tamil woman, was arrested on Dec. 6 at Muthiraichanthi near Jaffna town

The woman arrived in Jaffna from Colombo that day and was on her way to Atchuvely, where she lives now.

The army at the Muthiraichanthi checkpoint had found a travelling bag she had bought in Colombo suspicious. Printed on it were scenes of the Kotmale and Victoria reservoirs. Some of the islands biggest hydroelectric generators are here.

Such bags are for sale in many shops in Colombo. This is why it was cleared through the tight security at the Ratmalana and Palaly SLAF bases.

Thavamanithevi's husband made inquiries from the army upon learning of her arrest and was told that she would be released only after the military intelligence receives information from Colombo that the bag is commercially produced and sold in the Sri Lankan capital.

The army has informed her husband that she will be held further if the reply from Colombo is negative.

Thavamanithevi and her family were displaced from Keerimalai during Eelam War II.