2 civilians abducted, 4 seek protection with Jaffna HRC

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 06 February 2008, 01:03 GMT]
Within the past five days, two familied men were abducted in the peninsula while four civilians, including a mother and her two children, sought protection with the Jaffna office of Human Rights Commission (HRC), civila society sources in Jaffna said.

The abduction of the two men took place on Friday, 01 December, one in broad day light and the other in the night.

In the first incident, Sathananthan Siriloganatham, 47, father of two and a resident of Katkovalam, Point Pedro in Vadamaraadchi, was abducted Friday afternoon 2:30 p.m. together with his three wheeler Taxi cab by armed men following him on a motor cycle.

The victim was as driving towards a nearby temple to pick up a passenger at the time of the abduction.

There has been an escalation in the number of auto drivers abducted and murdered, and this recent incident has instilled fear among the owners of three wheelers in the North.

On the same day Tharmaseelan Krishnamoorthy, 43, a resident of Thambi Lane, Vannaarpannai within Jaffna Municipal Council limits, was abducted from his home by unidentified armed men operating on a motor cycle.

Both the victim and wife were severely attacked during the incident, and after the victim’s wife fainted due to exhaustion, the armed fled the scene taking the husband with them.

Meanwhile, three members of the same family, a 47 old mother, her 20 year old son, and a 16 year old school going daughter sought protection Tuesday at the office of Jaffna HRC office. The family residing in Man’duvil, Kodikamam in Thenmaraadchi is related to the three members of the same family killed on 31 January near Cholai Amman Koyiladi , Man’duvil. They have been receiving continuous death threats and the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troopers have been harassing them to report at their Civil administration office, in the area the mother said.

A fourth civilian, a youth, a supporter of Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) involved in selling the party newspaper Thinamurasu, surrendered at the HRC office in Jaffna seeking protection.

The youth from Pandaitherippu, Saanthai had gone home for holidays and when he returned to party office, he received death threats, he complained to the HRC.