Youth missing after arrests

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 02 December 1997, 23:59 GMT]
The five youth who were arrested by the Police in Kaluwanchikudy yesterday following the shootout in which a policeman was killed and another was wounded, are still reported missing. The parents of the youth say that they have been unable to trace the boys since they were arrested yesterday afternoon.

The parents had gone to the Kaluwanchikudy STF base and Police camp to see their children this morning. But in both places they had been told that nothing was known about the arrests.

The parents then went to the district HQ of the Police in Batticaloa town to inquire about the whereabouts of their sons.

Here they were told that the matter could only be handled by the Police or STF in Kaluwanchikudy.

They finally visited the Human Rights Task Force (HRTF) office in Batticaloa town this afternoon .

Officials here informed them that the HRTF has no authority now to take up such cases.

The parents returned to Kaluwanchikudy this evening from Batticaloa, hopeful that their sons could somehow be traced if they continue to make discreet inquiries without angering the STF or Police by going public with the names of their sons or taking up the matter with the Batticaloa MPs.

One youth who was arrested yesterday was identified as J. Piritharan and another as S. Ravi.

The parents of the other three youth were too scared to reveal the names of their missing sons.

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