TamilNet: Civilians burnt to death in Pesalai

Civilians burnt to death in Pesalai

[TamilNet, December 25, 2005 10:25 GMT]
Remains of burnt bodies including a four-year-old boy were discovered inside a house of the Victoria Hundred Houses resettlement in Pesalai Sunday at 10:30 a.m. by residents who reached the site for the first time following Friday's revenge attacks on the civilians by the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN). Soldiers blocked residents from searching for two other missing persons in parts of surrounding area. Three houses and a shop were burnt and almost all the houses were found looted. The victims were burnt using madras, kajan leaves and palmyrah stems, sources said. The exact number of victims killed in the revenge attacks is not known yet.

The SLN soldiers who entered the settlement Friday evening attacked the civilians wounding more than 30 persons. Four persons of two neighbouring families, a 43 years-old couple, Mr Emmanuel Cruz and Mrs. Anthonicam Cruz, and Theresa Cruz, a mother and her four-year-old boy Dilakshan Cruz were trapped inside their houses, numbered 44 and 45, located on the right side of the road from Mannar to Talaimannar.

The house No. 45 was completely burnt down. Remains of two feet, one of a young boy and another of an adult, a piece of sternum, and an elbow were recovered from the bedroom of house No 45.

The civilian settlers who reached the site with Rev. Fr. Wincent Parick from Victoria Church returned to the church and notified the Bishop and the matter was brought to the attention of the Police and the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM).

Two officials from the SLMM, the Bishop of Mannar Most Rev. Rayappu Joseph, Rev. Fr. Wincent Parick, the parish priest of the Victoria church together with Commadore Nihal Chandrasri, the commanding officer of the Mannar Naval Base in the Sunny Village visited the spot following the information from the civilians who returned from the site, sources said.

At 1:30 p.m., acting Magistrate of Mannar Mr. A. S. Johndasan, visited the spot and ordered the Mannar Police to conduct investigations into the killings.

Number of families that have sought refuge at the Victoria Church has increased to 180 as 41 families who were displaced in Kavviyan settlement from Thullukudiyiruppu have also sought refuge at the church.

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24.12.05 Mannar fisherman abducted

Seven persons missing in Jaffna

[TamilNet, December 27, 2005 17:44 GMT]
Three fishermen who went to Mannar seas for fishing last Thursday and four other persons, including three who were arrested by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA)in various parts of Jaffna, have been reported missing in Jaffna.

Three fishermen who set off for fishing Thursday in the Mannar seas from Gurunagar coastal suburb of Jaffna, Joseph Christurajah, 48, Saverian Sreesilvester, 48, and Kajanbert Kongland, 28, have not returned from the seas and their parents have lodged complaints at the office of Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission in Jaffna, sources said.

Three youths arrested on Saturday in different areas in Jaffna by the Sri Lanka Army soliders, Murugathas Theeparooban, 19, from Kaithady East, Nunaval, Jeyapalaratnam Prasanth, 19, from Katpakapillayar Road, Uduvil and Joseph Sutharan, 48, from Sandilippay have not returned home after being arrested by the SLA soliders and are missing, parents of the youths reported.

A student from Kokkuvil East, Thevakumar Ramanan, has also been reported missing since December 17, his parents said.

Two youths shot and killed in Jaffna

[TamilNet, December 28, 2005 12:01 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army soldiers manning the checkpoint at Mutthirai Junction, located on Jaffna - Point Pedro Road near Nallur, opened fire on two youths who were riding in a motorbike, killing both of them on the spot. The incident took place Wedensday at 5:00 p.m. Civiian sources in the area said, the youths, who did not stop at the checkpoint when blocked by the soldiers, were unarmed contradictory to the claims made by Jaffna Police that the SLA soldiers had recovered a grenade from the killed youths. Meanwhile, two SLA soldiers were wounded in two different grenade attacks in Jaffna Wednesday.

The youths riding in the motorbike with the registration no NPJA 5733 are to be indentified yet.

The bodies have been taken to Jaffna hospital by the Police.

Acting Judge of Jaffna District Mrs. Sarojini Ilankovan, visited the hospital mortuary to inspect the bodies, medical sources said.

Two SLA soldiers were wounded in two different grenade attacks, one in Urumpirai Junction at 1:30 p.m. and another at Punnalaikadduvan at 2:30 p.m., Police sources said.

All five Jaffna vicitims identified as civilians

[TamilNet, December 27, 2005 10:48 GMT]
The young woman, who was shot and killed by the SLA soldiers and dressed up with denim trousers last Saturday, was identified as a heart patient, Ms Parameswari Somasundaram, 26, who had come to Jaffna Hospital for treatment from Konavil in Kilinochchi. Two other remaining bodies were also identified as belonging civilians from Kanakarayankulam and Pallai. Two bodies were earlier identified as belonging to a night watcher and a garage worker in Kottady. The Sri Lanka Military spokesman in Colombo had claimed that the five persons were gunmen who were shot by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and that troopers had recovered weapons from the victims.

The bodies were identified by the parents of victims following the publication of photos in the local papers, hospital sources said.

Thirunavukarasu Jeyakanthan, 26, a local businessman from Pallai, Ratnakumar Kunasegar, 19, a carpenter from Kanakarayankulam were identified as the male victims.

Parents of the victims identfied the bodies at the presence of Acting Judge of Jaffna District and Mallakam Magistrate Mrs. Sarojini Ilankovan.

Earlier, two victims were identified as civilians. Krishnan Vimaleswaran, 39, a night watcher who was in duty at Jaffna Central College was shot inside the school and his body was relocated by the soldiers. The other victim, Palasingham Chandrakumar from Manipay was an employee at a garage in Kottady in Jaffna.

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