Youth abducted from Jaffna Hospital

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 February 1999, 22:51 GMT]
Unidentified armed men abducted a 16 year old youth, Nagarajah Rubakumar, from the Jaffna Hospital this morning around 6.30 a.m. The youth was staying at the hospital with his grandfather who had been admitted for treatment.

The Sri Lankan Army (SLA) told his father, who had contacted several SLA camps in Jaffna, that they had not arrested his son.

Meanwhile a student of St. Joseph's College, Gerry Lord,17, has been missing since February 3, his parents said.

They said he went shopping and had not returned home. The SLA has informed his parents that they have not arrested him.

A human right activist in Jaffna said there has been an increase in the arrests of youths after the killing of the Jaffna PLOTE leader two weeks ago.

Meanwhile a youth who had been detained and beaten up by TELO at the group's camp at the Sinhala 'Mahavidyalayam' (school) has escaped and surrendered at the near by SLA sentry post this morning, said sources in Jaffna.

The Jaffna Hospital and its surroundings are in the high security zone of Jaffna town. All the entrances into this zone are controlled by the Security Forces. Everyone entering the zone is screened.