Abductions shock Mannaar, relatives of victim confront white van

[TamilNet, Thursday, 06 January 2011, 19:22 GMT]
Sinhala-speaking armed men in white-van rushed through Mannaar abducting four males, one of them a Muslim youth, Jaharil Jazeel. The episode resulted in a confrontation between the relatives of Mr. Jazeel and the abductors, exposing the level of top-hierarchy involvement of Sri Lankan defense authorities in the chain of abductions. Sri Lanka Navy, Sri Lanka Army and Police guarding the Mannaar Bridge withdrew their security, allowing the abductors to proceed southwards after seeing a piece of paper produced by the men right in front of the victim’s relatives, who were chasing the white van in four three-wheelers. The armed men, confronted by Jazeel’s relatives opted to take away the mother of Jazeel in their vehicle only to force her off their vehicle at gunpoint at Vangkaalai Junction after crossing the Mannaar bridge on their way to South along Mannaar – Medawachiya Road.

Armed men in white van first entered the house of a resettled family from Vanni at Periyakamam of Hundred House Scheme around 3:00 p.m. asking for 55-year-old Navaratnam Thillainathan. After a brief ‘investigation’, the armed men in civil forced Mr. Thillainathan into their vehicle for further investigations and took him away.

Later, another Tamil youth, Kamal, a barber, was abducted at Thoaddave’li, a farmland.

Around 5:00 p.m., the white-van appeared at Karisal south of Peasaalai. The armed men were looking for Jaharil Jazeel at his house and abducted him as his family was witnessing the abduction.

On their way, through Peasaalai, the armed men were searching for Tharma, an auto driver, at his house near Murukan Koayiladi in Peasalai. But, Tharma was away in Mannaar town.

Within a short time, the family of Mr. Jazeel alerted their relatives. An elder sister of Jazeel’s mother took to the street with her female relatives and lying down on the road blocking the vehicle on its way to Mannaar near Kaaddaaspaththiri Junction, around 6:40 p.m. The armed men in the white coloured Toyota Dolphin vehicle opened fire, forcing the women away from the road and proceeded southwards.

On their way, they also abducted the auto driver, Tharma, who was on his way home back from Mannaar town.

At the High Security Mannaar city entrance to the bridge linking, the armed men in the white van were stopped by the military and police around 7:40 p.m. Sri Lanka Army, Sri Lanka Navy and Police personnel were manning the post. Four three-wheelers, in which the relatives of Jazeel were chasing the white van also reached the post. But, the military, navy and police who surrounded the vehicle of the abductors withdrew from the site after seeing a piece of paper which was shown to them by the abductors. Chaos prevailed as relatives and men who followed the white-van started to protest at the site, which is opposite the Court complex in the city. The abductors then chose to take the mother of Jazeel with them and crossed over the bridge to the mainland.

However, the mother was forced out of the vehicle at Vangkaalai.

All the abductors were in civil and the mother of Jazeel, held at gunpoint within the vehicle, was not sure how many victims were being abducted inside the vehicle.

Several abductees in the recent days have been taken towards South by abdutors in Vanni and Mannaar.

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