Southern workers sexually harass Tamil women in East

[TamilNet, Sunday, 07 October 2012, 23:13 GMT]
Some of the workers from South who are brought down to Eastern province by the Colombo government, which employs them in road construction and electricity supply ‘development’ work in the Eastern province, engage in sexual abuse of Tamil women, civil sources in Batticaloa say citing two cases this week alone. At Vaazhaichcheanai, a 38-year-old mother of five, A Sinnappillai, was killed after sexual abuse by at least two Sinhala men and the body of the victim was found dumped in a pit upside down. At Vellaave'li, a man from Matara, caught by the villagers after he attempted to sexually harass a 17-year-old Tamil girl on Thursday, was allowed to go unpunished by the Sinhala policemen.

On Monday, two Sinhalese workers had gone to the house of Ms Sinappillai, whose livelihood was dependent on the income from selling cooked food from her house situated at Ki'n'naiyadi Ku'lakkoaddan village in Vaazhaichcheani division of Batticaloa district.

When she came out, she was gagged and was forcibly removed to the nearby jungle by the two men.

Later, she was allegedly subjected to sexual abuse and murdered.

The injuries found on the body have created suspicion among the medical staff and the body has been sent to the Colombo Hospital for further medical examination.

The sources at Batticaloa Teaching Hospital told TamilNet on condition of anonymity that medical authorities in Colombo are reluctant in issuing medical reports confirming rape on similar cases in the past.

The deceased woman was displaced from her village Chaaraave'li during 2007 war and was residing at Ku'lakkoaddan village with her children.

On Thursday a Sinhalese worker was attempting to sexually abuse a seventeen year old girl at Vellaave'li area.

On hearing cries from the girl, the villagers rushed to the site and caught the man.

He was then taken to the Chairman of the Piratheasa Chapai (PS) who is a Pillayan group man.

However, the Sinhala policemen providing ‘security’ to the paramilitary man had allowed the suspect to go free, the disappointed villagers say.

Sinhalese workers from the southern province in large number are deployed in electric infrastructure and road construction works along the main road in Batticaloa district while Tamil youths are unemployed in the province.