Tamil Nadu prisoner under Colombo’s PTA custody begins hunger strike

[TamilNet, Sunday, 30 March 2014, 10:02 GMT]
An Indian citizen from Tamil Nadu, who has been jailed in Colombo for five years, has launched hunger-strike unto death demanding his fate known to the world, after he has been subjected to severe harassment by the Sri Lankan ‘Terrorist Investigation Division’ and the prison authorities, reliable sources told TamilNet on Sunday. The victim, John Peter Vijayendran, is a political prisoner, who has been jailed in Colombo’s Magazine prison and recently transferred to a prison in Negombo, the sources further said.

Mr John Peter Vijayendran has been in the Sri Lankan prison for 5 years under the notorious ‘Prevention of Terrorism’ act charges. He has started the fast-unto death protest demanding his fate known to the world, especially to the government of Tamil Nadu, the sources further said.

John Peter was being harassed by the Sri Lankan ‘Terrorist Investigation Division’ operatives and the SL prison authorities who blamed that he had been in touch the outside world from the Magazine prison.

On Friday, Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa, in a ‘gesture of goodwill’ towards the New Delhi Establishment for abstaining to vote on UNHRC resolution, instructed the release of Tamil Nadu fishermen detained in Colombo’s prisons.