Vanni returnee abducted, beaten up in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 03 July 2002, 18:05 GMT]
A father of two children who returned to Point Pedro in Jaffna after more than six years in LTTE held Vanni region Wednesday complained to the Police that he was abducted, beaten up and kept in a dilapidated building for six days. He said that the abductors had chained his hands and legs. Informed sources in Jaffna said his abductors are suspected to be members of the army intelligence unit.

The armed persons who abducted him in the Vallaiveli area while he was on his way to Manipay from Point Pedro had accused him of working for the Liberation Tigers.

Anthonypillai Francis Ratnakumar, (39) a fisherman, accompanied by his wife and two children went to the Point Pedro police station and lodged a complaint Wednesday morning about his abduction. He said he escaped from his abductors on June 25.

"On June 19 morning I was on my way to Manipay from Point Pedro. When I was passing Vallaiveli a person riding a a motorbike stopped me and inquired about my identity. At that time a white colour van arrived at the scene. I was blindfolded me and forced into the van. They took me to a dilapidated building. They assaulted me, accusing me of working for the LTTE," said Ratnakumar in a statement to the police.

On June 25th morning between three and five he escaped from the custody of the abductors and went to Puttur stark naked as his abductors had removed all his clothes. He hid himself in a shrub jungle till he saw some persons on the road from whom he got some clothes to cover himself. Then he went to the Puttur church and explained his predicament to the parish priest there, Ratnakumar said in his statement to the Police.

The President of the Jaffna Journalists' Association, Mr. veluppillai Thavachelvam was also abducted by armed persons in a van without number plates in the Vallaveli area this week.

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