Father attempts suicide

[TamilNet, Thursday, 18 June 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Depressed by the death of his son, Damayanthan, last August, and disillusioned by subsequent delays in legal proceedings, S. Lakshmikathan (60), of Trincomalee, tried to commit suicide last month by eating four oleander seeds, said sources in Trincomalee.

Mr. Lakshmikanthan pleaded guilty of attempting to commit suicide when the matter came up before the P. Swarnaraj, Magistrate Trincomalee, yesterday.

The magistrate acquitted Mr. Lakshmikanthan after his hearing the series of problems that led him to attempt suicide. Mr. Lakshmikanthan told court that his son Damayanthan (18) had been killed in a confrontation with the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) on the Trincomalee- Nilaveli Road, 1 km from Trincomalee town, in August last year.

The case regarding the incident had been filed by the Attorney General's Department in the Colombo High Court.

This had forced Mr. Lakshmikanthan to travel once a month to Colombo on the days the matter was scheduled to be taken up in the High Court.

But the case was constantly postponed though it was almost ten months since it was filed.

He said that he was a poor man and could not afford going to Colombo every month for a case that was being postponed. He also said he was depressed after his son s death.

Having heard his statement, Mr. Swarnaraj acquitted him, said sources.