Four more skeletons found in Kilinochchi

[TamilNet, Saturday, 24 June 2000, 17:25 GMT]
Villagers cleaning a compound in Kilinochchi, 45 km. south of Jaffna, found four skeletons, with their hands tied behind their backs in a toilet pit on Thursday, the Voice of Tigers said.

The skeletons and cloths found in the pit were taken to the Kilinochchi hospital for medical examination. They were later taken to Akkarayan for possible identification, the radio said.

According to the radio, the compound is situated about 500 metres from the Forward Defence Lines of the Sri Lanka Army when Kilinochchi was controlled by them.

Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers took control of Kilinochchi after operation Sath Jaya in August 1996. The town was re-captured by the Liberation Tigers in October 1998.

The skeletons are believed to the remains of people who had gone to visit relatives in Kilinochchi, when the SLA was in control of the town, and were latter reported 'missing'. 184 civilians had been reported missing during this period, the VoT said.

The radio added that since the town was captured by the LTTE in September 1998 during Operation Unceasing Waves-2, 51 skeletons have been discovered in the Kilinochchi district.