Udathalawinna massacre case postponed

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 19 March 2003, 20:12 GMT]
When the Udathalawinna massacre case was taken up for hearing on Wednesday by the three member trial-at-bar, the ninth suspect was not produced in court, and the judges agreed to a request by the defence attorney and postponed the case to March 24, legal sources said.

The defence attorney had argued that criminal law procedures prohibited hearing the case without the accused being present in the court and therefore the case should be postponed.

The case concerns the massacre of 10 Muslim youths in Udathalawinna in the Knady district on the day of general elections in 2000. Fifteen persons, including the former Defence Minister, Gen. Anurudha Ratwatte, and his sons, Lohan and Chanuka Ratwatte, are indicted in the case.