Colombo transfers NGO massacre investigation to Anuradhapura

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 06 September 2006, 18:02 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has instructed that the inquest proceedings in the Muthur Magistrate's Court in the Trincomalee district regarding the killing of seventeen workers of the French non-governmental organization, Action Faim, Action against Hunger (ACF) in Muthur town during the first week of August, to be held before the Anuradhapura Magistrate, legal sources said.

Earlier, on August 08, a Sinhalese Judicial Medical Officer (JMO) was brought from Anuradhapura to conduct the post-mortem examinations on the the orders of the Sri Lankan authorities.

Muthur magistrate's court is located in the North East province and the Anuradhapura magistrate court is in the Sinhalese dominated North Central Province which is about ninety km off northwest of Trincomalee town.

The instruction issued by the JSC was conveyed to Muthur Magistrate's court through the Justice Ministry Secretary when the inquest proceedings resumed Tuesday and the order in the inquest proceeding was to be delivered, legal sources said.

Accordingly, Muthur Magistrate M.Ganesharajah who has been holding the inquest from the start till Tuesday has ordered his Registrar that the records of the case to be sent to Anuradhapura Magistrate. He further ordered that the case should be called on September 20 in Anuradhapura court, legal sources said.

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