SLN arrests 7 Tamils in Kachchativu Island

[TamilNet, Thursday, 19 May 2005, 13:42 GMT]
Sri Lanka Navy Wednesday night took into custody seven Sri Lankan Tamils, four women and three men when they were waiting in Kachchativu Island for an Indian boat to take them to Tamilnadu shore in South India. Mannar Magistrate Mr.N.M.M.Abdullah Thursday ordered them to be remanded till Friday, legal sources said.

The arrested persons are residents of Mannar and Jaffna. They earlier sought refuge in Tamilnadu. They returned from South India about two months ago by boats and air to see their relatives, sources said.

They left Tuesday in a boat owned by a Sri Lankan from Karisal in Mannar district to go to South India. Sri Lankan boatman dropped them in Kachchativu Island saying that they could get a boat from there to Tamilnadu, sources said.

Sri Lanka naval patrol craft took them into custody Wednesday night and brought them to Talaimannar and handed over to the Police who produced them in Mannar courts Thursday morning, legal sources said.