Four civilians disappear in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 January 2007, 20:14 GMT]
Four civilians including two youths have gone missing within the 48 hour period beginning Sunday, sources in Jaffna peninsula said, quoting complaints lodged with the HumanRights office in Jaffna. Two of the four are alleged to have been forcefully abducted at night by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers traveling in a white van, according to the relatives.

Seevaratnam Niranjan, 30, father of three children residing at Mootha Vinayagar Road, Nallur within the Jaffna Municipal Council area was abducted Sunday night by SLA personnel who arrived at his residence in a white van, according to complaint lodged by his wife at the Jaffna office of Sri lanka Human Rights Commission. She has stated that she will be able to identify the security personnel involved, as she has seen them patrolling the streets near their home.

The following day Seevaratnam Niranjan was taken to his birth place Kaithaday in Navatkuli West by the SLA personnel in a Buffel armoured vehicle where they arrested another civilian Poopalasingham Rameshkumar, 28, father of two. Though the wife of Rameshkumar has reported the arrest of her husband to Human Rights Office, the SLA has denied the accusation.

Meanwhile, Sunday afternoon, Kanthiyalagan Srikanth, 21, of Navalar Road ,Jaffna a G C E Advanced Level student following AAT computer course returning in the afternoon from his friend's home in Urumpirai disappeared without any trace.

Another youth Subramaniam Selvarajah, 24, of Muthumari Amman Kovilady, Alvai in Vadamaradchchy disappeared while proceeding towards Nelliady to purchase some provisions. Relatives claimed that they witnessed Selvarajah being interrogated by SLA soldiers.

Though a number of civilians have disappeared in the Jaffna peninsula recently none of them have been released and the SLA has denied any knowledge of the arrests and abductions.

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