Thangathurai murder accused transferred

[TamilNet, Monday, 21 February 2000, 21:20 GMT]
The Eastern High Court at its Trincomalee session today ruled that four of the seven accused in the murder of former TULF MP Thangathurai be transferred to Trincomalee prison from custody at Kalutara for their personal safety.

High Court Judge A.N. Ramachandran made passed the ruling after the Defense brought to the notice of the court that the lives of the Tamil accused were not secure at the Kalutara prison.

The Defense submitted to the court that the fourth accused in this case, Satkunanathan Nijanthan, miraculously escaped death at Kalutara prison when Sinhalese jail guards attacked Tamil prisoners on January 7.

The four accused were brought to Trincomalee today from Kalutara under heavy security. Of the seven indicted with the murder of a former TULF Parliamentarian A. Thangathurai, two are already have been released on bail. The first accused has absconded.

The court informed the Defense that the case had been transferred to Colombo High Court by the Attorney General. The High Court Judge refused bail application made by the Defense on behalf of four accused kept in custody, saying that the court had no power to order bail when the Attorney General had transferred the case to Colombo.

The Defense informed the court that relatives of the accused had appealed to the Attorney General to reconsider the decision of transferring the case from Trincomalee to Colombo.

The High Court advised the Defense to take up this matter with the Attorney General and the Court of Appeal.