SLA arrests seven in east

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 March 2000, 19:05 GMT]
Seven Tamil villagers were arrested by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) this morning near the district border between Ampara and Batticaloa. Eight persons including an eight year-old boy were travelling in a tractor from 13th milepost towards Malayarkadu in Ampara district for work. The SLA arrested the seven adults near Malayarakadu. The eight-year old boy was abandoned alone at the spot.

The boy, however, managed to find his way home and told his family and others in his village that the SLA had taken all the adults who were with him into custody.

On representations made villagers, Mr.Joseph Pararajasingham, Parliamentarian of Batticaloa district contacted the SLA authorities at Ampara.

The SLA first denied the arrest. Later the SLA admitted that troops had arrested seven persons travelling in a tractor in Malayarkaddu and that they had been handed over to the Police for further inquiries.

The names of the arrested seven persons are: Kaespathy Mohanasuntharam, Velmurugu Pullenayagam,Sandrasekaram Ravichchandran, Selliah Krishnapillai, Virakamuthu Rasaretnam, Kathirgamar Ratnasingham and Krishnapillai Sivamohan.

The SLA arrested three Tamil villagers at Malayarkadu on October 8 last year. They have been missing since then.