Tamil student abducted, killed near SL military zone in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 April 2012, 17:33 GMT]
18-year-old Sivalingam Sivakumaran, a student from Kerudaavil village in Vadamaraadchi North of Jaffna district, was found slain inside a bush, 2 km away from his house on Wednesday. The Tamil student was abducted five days ago, on 13 April after 6:00 p.m., when he had left his house towards the historic Chelvach-channithi temple, according to the family of the victim. The Kerudaavil village is situated along the eastern border of the Valikaamam ‘High Security Zone’ of the occupying SL military. The student has been tortured and killed, the villagers who witnessed the recovery of the dead body told media. In the meantime, Indian parliamentarians were taken to Jaffna Wednesday evening, after being taken on a ‘guided’ tour, which was fully packed with ceremonial events, carefully avoiding interactions with civil representatives in Mullaiththeevu.

Residents of Kerudaavil suspect that the SL Army soldiers were behind the abduction and slaying of the Tamil student.

Sivakumaran was well known to the SL Army soldiers in the area who had been interacting with him, the family and relatives told media.

Last year, a youth of a resettled family of a former LTTE member from Vanni, was shot and killed by a Sinhala soldier of the SL military camp in the area, when the boy was sent back home from the camp after an ‘interrogation’ at the camp. The SL military had suppressed the news of the killing and the family was told that it was a ‘misfire’. The youth had been slain by a targeted gunshot while he was leaving the camp, sources in Kerudaavil said.

Many abductions go unreported as families of the victims refrain from complaining, the sources further said adding that the SL military officials and paramilitary operatives often ‘advice’ the families to keep a low profile in reporting the incidents. The families of the victims are told that such reporting would only reduce the chance of ‘possible future release’ of those being abducted.

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Abducted youth recovered in Trincomalee: SL Police [TamilNet, Sunday, 01 April 2012, 23:26 GMT] Sri Lankan Police spokesman Ajith Rohana on Saturday said that the 22-year-old Tamil youth, Ananda Kishore Thanikasalam, abducted in Vaakarai on 28 March, was recovered at Dehiwatte in Serunuwara of Trincomalee district. The youth had been abducted from his house as his parents refused to hand over their 8 acres of palm grove to a Sinhala person from the South. As the abduction was highlighted in the media, the SL police was attempting to project the abduction as a ransom case, informed sources said. A police investigation team from Colombo had also inspected the house of Mr. Thanikasalam. On 19 March 2012, a group of CID officers who had come from the South forced the family to hand them over a copy of the land deed. Chronology: 01.04.12 Abducted youth recovered in Trincomalee: SL Police 29.03.12 Sinhala land-grabbers trigger abduction of Tamil y..

Abducted youth recovered in Trincomalee: SL Police

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 April 2012, 23:26 GMT]
Sri Lankan Police spokesman Ajith Rohana on Saturday said that the 22-year-old Tamil youth, Ananda Kishore Thanikasalam, abducted in Vaakarai on 28 March, was recovered at Dehiwatte in Serunuwara of Trincomalee district. The youth had been abducted from his house as his parents refused to hand over their 8 acres of palm grove to a Sinhala person from the South. As the abduction was highlighted in the media, the SL police was attempting to project the abduction as a ransom case, informed sources said.

A police investigation team from Colombo had also inspected the house of Mr. Thanikasalam.

On 19 March 2012, a group of CID officers who had come from the South forced the family to hand them over a copy of the land deed.

Chronology:

01.04.12  Abducted youth recovered in Trincomalee: SL Police

29.03.12  Sinhala land-grabbers trigger abduction of Tamil y..

Abducted university student released

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 30 November 2011, 15:29 GMT]
Jaffna University Siddha Medicine student, Vetharaniyam Latheesh, who was feared abducted by the occupying Sri Lanka’s military on the Heroes Day evening, Sunday, at Thirunelveali in Jaffna, was released on Monday evening after being taken to a notorious military intelligence outfit directly operated by Gotabhaya Rajapaksa in Vavuniyaa. The release of Latheesh became possible as some Western embassies in Colombo showed interest in his case, news sources in the island said. Jaffna University students, who were harassed by the SL military after a torch was lit atop the university hostel on the Heroes Day, felt relieved and optimistic at the gesture of the international community, university circles said.

Latheesh was abducted by around 6:45 pm Sunday, when he was returning to his Siddha Medicine faculty hostel at Kaithadi in a moped, after visiting a friend in the Balasingham Hall hostel of the university at Thirunelveali, where the Heroes Day torch was lit at 6:05 pm, by unidentified people.

Latheesh was abducted in a white van near the Sivan temple of Thirunelveali.

A relative, who phoned him and got connected while he was under abduction, heard his abductors speaking in Sinhala, beating him and asking “kawuda” (means who).

News sources in Colombo said that such abductions are usually carried out in sinister and deadly ways, and end up in the killing of the victim, leaving all traces leading to the abduction carefully distorted so that nothing could be proved against the abductors.

The victim’s side was silent to local media due to fear of reprisals.

In the meantime, a news item is now released ‘making’ the student to speak that he was abducted and taken to Vavuniyaa, but not by the SL military.

All vehicles that go from Jaffna to Vavuniyaa has to pass through the military check point at Oamanthai, where every single person is thoroughly scrutinized. How did the vehicle that was abducting the student pass the security point without scrutiny, if the military was not involved in the abduction, is the question.

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