Fast unto death continues

[TamilNet, Thursday, 25 June 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The Sri Lankan Attorney General and the Prison Commissioner are yet to respond to demands put forward by the Tamil detainees held at the Kalutara prison who began a fast unto death yesterday, demanding their release or the implementation of legal proceedings against them.

Thirty-seven detainees began the fast yesterday, and another 8 detainees are expected to join today.

554 political detainees and 51 convicted criminals are detained at the prison located 43 km south of Colombo. Of these 51 are Sinhalese.

The detainees have earlier sent requests to various diplomatic missions in Colombo urging them to secure their release.

In the message they have also requested the diplomatic missions to put pressure on the Sri Lankan Government to find a political solution to the ongoing war.

The detains have also sent an appeal to the Sri Lankan President Mrs. Chandrika Kumaratunge, the Minister of Justice and Constitutional affairs, Prof. G.L.Peiris, the Leader of the main Opposition Party, Ranil Wickramasinghe, the Human Rights Commission, the Attorney General, the ICRC, the UNHCR envoy in Colombo, and Tamil and Muslim Political parties.

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