Bodies kept for identification

[TamilNet, Sunday, 19 March 2000, 12:51 GMT]
The bodies of three youths who were shot by the Sri Lanka Army in Vavunathivu on Friday are being kept at the Batticaloa hospital for identification.

The acting Batticaloa Magistrate Mr. K. Thangavadivelu inspected the bodies yesterday.

An inquest, which was to be held yesterday at the Batticaloa hospital, was postponed to Monday as the army personnel, involved in the shooting, did not appear to testify.

The acting Magistrate ordered the Police to produce them in the court on Monday with arms and ammunition recovered. According to the Magistrate's report, several gunshot injuries were found on the bodies.

He instructed the hospital authorities to release the bodies within three days to the ICRC, if they requested, or to bury them thereafter at the state expense.

The youths were shot dead by an army ambush unit near Vavunathivu camp on Friday morning. The SLA claimed the youth were members of the Liberation Tigers.