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Sri Lanka: Arrest of Tamils continues, detention camps overcrowded, detainees rises to 1,500

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Monday, 03 December 2007

Sri Lankan special military and police squads are continuing to arrest Tamils across Sri Lanka, particularly in capital Colombo and in the districts in south, by conducting cordon and search operation. Tamil parliamentarians in Colombo on Sunday told media that the number of detainees has risen to 1,500 over the last 48 hours.

This wholesale arrest of Tamils have caused serious anger among the minority community, forcing them to take to street. Sources said over 350 have been arrested in Colombo, of whom 51 are females and they are now detained at Boosa detention camp.

Many of them complained that they were arrested despite showing relevant papers and identity cards. They also said they are living in the detention centre in an inhuman condition, without food and water. Even, they also complained, there is no space for sleeping. As a result, many of the detainees passed last night sitting on the floor.

Parents and relatives on Sunday visited the detainees at the camp along with opposition UNP MP T. Maheswaran, and witnessed that in which inhuman condition so many people have been crammed. Talking to media the officer in charge of the detention centre, Janaka Chandrajith, admitted that it is almost impossible for them to provide minimum basic facilities to so many detainees.

Mano Ganeshan, the leader of Western Province Peoples’ Front leader told media on Sunday that the police authorities in areas where the civilians have been arrested expressed their ignorance about such wholesale arrest as the arrests have been made by the special military and police squads.

Earlier, the parents of over 100 arrestees from Kottahena tried to march towards Temple Trees from Galle Face on Saturday evening led by UNP parliamentarian T. Maheswaran and Upcountry Peoples Front parliamentarian P. Radhakrishnan, but their procession was stopped by the Police near the Taj samudra Hotel. Police later dispersed the protesters.

The arrests were made two days after Sri Lankan railway authorities suspended train service to Vavuniya aimed at restricting travel between North and South. Mr. Maheshwaran told newsmen that he requested president Mahinda Rajapakse over his mobile phone but he refused to meet the parents. About 150 persons were arrested alone in Kotahena Police division and around 100 were taken to Boosa.

Comments (7)add comment

nuwan said:

This time LTTE and all its sympathisers are playing with the wrong people. Rajapakshe brothers are different from the previous sinhala leaders.
2007-12-03 06:56:55

N said:

NUWAN is right. There is a difference.

In addition to being AntiTamil like the others, the family company known as "Rajapakshe Brothers" is also using the war for its own profit.
2007-12-03 08:40:54

James said:

If you look Jaffna peninsula, after became under the control of GoSL since 1995, it has been being an open prison. Disappearance, abductions, massacres and sexual assaults have been being in the Tamils daily livelihood. Recently when GoSL evicted the Tamils from Colombo to North and East, there was widely condemnation from the International Community (IC). If GoSL put the Tamils in the prison or detention camps under the PTA, IC would not comment anything because they were stamped as Terrorists. Propaganda wise GoSL would pay for anything that could be any human beings life (Sinhalese, Tamils or Muslim)
2007-12-03 11:40:14

jagath said:

yeah. They have selected the wrong people to play with. There would be no room for tamil homeland in Sri Lanka. Tamils better try it in another country. Apperently they are trying in Malaysia.
2007-12-03 13:23:07

Sandy said:

Ok Jagath u singala asshole...better all the singala modayans escape fromm SL or built ur own cemetrty
2007-12-04 00:39:51

Kingsly said:

Nobody could question the right of the Government to ensure the safety of its citizens but the biggest question is how to get about it. Certainly not like a bull in a chinashop. I can see one of the two or both ramifications here. Either the GoSL wants to make a huge show and muscle-flexing to impress the extremist and the so called patriotic hallucinators that they mean business (particualry in view of the forthcoming budget voting) or utter foolish, tactless nadling of security. This is where the fundamental mistake lies. There was a time that the security forces personnel thought that if they shouted "ado.......somebody's putha' most people would run away or surrender. The sight of uniform itself instilled fear into the minds of criminals. Things have changed. Matters were taken too far to the extreme by the authorities beyond the boundaries legality and tolerance often with some intent to cheat people began to retaliate one way or the other. Even cornered rats try to defend. A classic example is the late Mr.Lalith Athulathmudali who declared his ill conceived logic openly that if 10 Tamil youths are killed at least one of them would be a Tiger Terrorist - indirectly promoting the killing. So the terrorists had harvested on the motto. Youths, obviously a vulnerable set of sitting ducks chose to join the terrorists. Such tactical mistakes should not be repeated by any government. The problem here is that people make decisions and bend the rules to make ends meet in the name of patriotism.
2007-12-05 02:51:34

csj said:

hope finally true will win as Eelam
2007-12-06 04:45:33

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