Detainees transferred to Kalutara

[TamilNet, Saturday, 11 August 2001, 18:55 GMT]
More than thirty Tamil youths detained at the Batticaloa prison were transferred this month to the Kalutara prison, south of Colombo, according to the Up-country People's Front (UPF), which has brought this matter to the notice of the Human Rights Commission (HRC).

The transfer to Kalutara prison has taken place as the Security establishment felt that the presence of Tamil detainees would pose a security threat to army suspects now in remand at Batticaloa prison, sources said. The Army suspects were recently arrested and remanded on charges of murdering and raping Tamil men and women in Siththaandy.

In a letter to the Secretary of the HRC, Mr.P.Chandrasekaran, President of the UPF and a Parliamentarian, has said that the transfer of Batticaloa youths to the Kalutara prison has caused "immense hardships to parents visiting their loved ones in prison."

Some of the Tamil detainees transferred to Kalutara prison said that their parents find it difficult to visit them due to the difficulties in obtaining permission to visit Kalutara.

Mr.Chandrasekaran has asked the Secretary of the HRC to visit the Kalutara prison and take immediate steps to help Batticloa Tamil detainees to meet their parents without any difficulties.