4 siblings seek protection with Point Pedro Court

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 October 2008, 20:12 GMT]
Two sisters, one of them an 18-year-old student and her sister, 25, along with two brothers, sought protection with Point Pedro Court this week due to death threats. Meanwhile, Jaffna Prison, where more than 360 persons, with nearly half of them placed in protective custody, faces serious shortage of space as its building can accommodate only around a hundred, prison officials said.

The siblings who sought protection with Point Pedro Court are from Kudaththanai in Vadamaraadchi North.

Recently, a family from Va'rani surrendered at Point Pedro Court in fear of their lives due to death threats.

With the number of persons placed in the protective custody of Jaffna Prison increasing daily, the authorities are facing difficulties in finding faces for the new inmates.

The inmates serving sentences for minor offenses and those detained are kept behind bars in the prison, while lack of space has forced the authorities to shelter the persons placed in protective custody on the corridors of buildings adjoining Jaffna prison.

This procedure cannot be continued anymore as the monsoon rains have begun in the north.

Prison officials said, their Colombo-based authorities responsible for prisons have have ignored Jaffna officials' repeated requests for additional space.