Inquest held into death of farmers

[TamilNet, Friday, 15 December 2000, 03:19 GMT]
Inquest into the deaths of seven Tamil farmers from Poonagar in the Mutur area, killed by Sinhala home guards on October 2nd of this year, were held last Tuesday in the presence of Muttur Magistrate and Additional District Judge Mr.R.M.Jayawardene.

A group of home guards abducted the farmers when they were threshing paddy crops and killed them. Their bodies were later recovered at Gonabokke in Mahindapura village, a new Sinhala settlement.

Three Grama Sevaka Officers of Poomarathadichchenai, Karukkamunai and Poonagar, the Officer-in-Charge of the Serunuwara Police, Mr.Attanayake, and six relatives of those killed gave evidence at the inquest.

The names of the seven farmers are:

Kanagaretnam (father of seven children), Krishnapillai Thayawathie (Female), Atputharajah, Somasuntharam, Nallathamby, Kalirasa and Arulanantharasa.

Poonagar village is situated in the Eachilampattai Division in the Muttur area.