by Wilson Gnanadass
Tamil parliamentarians are irked over the series of extra judicial killings, adductions and disappearances of leading Sri Lankan businessmen.
Last week Western People?s Front (WPF) Colombo District Parliamentarian Mano Ganesan along with UNP stalwart S.B.Dissanayake submitted a letter to the Norwegian embassy outlining the failure of the state to take tough action against abductions and disappearances.
The letter was personally handed over to the deputy head of mission of the Royal Norwegian embassy Hilde Haraldstad by Ganesan himself.
The delegation led by Ganesan, Dissanayake and Sirithunga Jayasuriya informed Norway to take this matter up at the forthcoming Co-Chairs meeting scheduled for September 12.
According to police information within five months, some 20 leading Tamil personalities have been abducted. Some have not even been released yet.
All the abductions have taken place either in the heart of Colombo city or suburbs.
Several complaints have been made by the Tamil community to local politicians to the police and including President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake . President Rajapaksa also concerned himself and even called his Tamil friends including UNP, MP, T. Maheswaran and asked him what the government should do to stop these abductions, which is personally an embarrassment to the President.
The Nation is in possession of details of those abducted during the past five months. Following is the list:
(1) Gunasekaran Mahindan (24 years)
(2) Kandasamy Sridharan (24 years)
(3) Ramakrishnan Rajkumar (21)
All three of them staying at AKB Lodge, at No. 9, Grandpass Road, (Opposite Sulaiman Hospitals) Colombo 14 were abducted by armed persons who came in a white van on August 4, 2006 midnight. All three are missing since then.
(4) S.Sriskandarajah was abducted from his residence at Horton place Colombo 07. It is reported that Sriskandarajah?s family has paid ransom money over Rs.30 million to certain unidentified persons for the release of Srishkandarajah. However he is still missing. He was a leading Sugar merchant and owner of Kala Traders at 4th Cross Street, Colombo 11,
(5) Kunjupillai Sivakandan (34) was abducted from his business premises at Messenger Street, Colombo 12 at 2 pm on August 23, 2006 by armed persons who came in a white van. Sivakandan is missing since then. He was a businessman and a politician belonging to Up country Peoples Front (UPF) led by Cabinet Minister P.Chandrsekaran.
(6) Nadarajah Manivannan (28) was shot dead near his shop, Sennan Groceries at Chitra Lane in Colombo 05 on Sepetember 2, 2006 by armed men who came in a motor cycle. He was a small boutique owner,
(7) Edward Reginold Jesudasan (30), an executive of Union Assurance who left for work from his office at Colombo 03 on September 1, 2006 evening did not return home at Farm Road, Mattakuliya, Colombo 15. His highly tortured and subsequently murdered body was found near Kelaninadhi Temple (Viharaya) at Ferguson Road in Colombo 14, the following day morning and was identified by his mother Mary Matilda Jesudasan. Father of Edward Reginold is a retired police officer.
(08) Sivarajah Haran (22) was abducted from at No. 8, Station Road, in Colombo 06 on April 26, 2006. Haran, originally from Jaffna, had come to Colombo for the treatment of his sick mother and has been staying at the above address. He is missing since then.
(9) Shanmuganathan Manivannan (28),a video shop owner was abducted from his shop, Shan Video at No. 44 Kotahena Street Colombo 13, by armed men and he is missing since then.
(10) Vinasithambi Chelvanayagam, a corporal (service No. IQ01009) in Sri Lanka army has gone missing since May 2, 2006. Corporal Chelanayagam worked at Army Head quarters in Colombo.
His wife Mrs.Parameshwary Chelvanayagam has made complaints to HRC in Colombo (No.4142/06 dated 15-06-06) and Local Police in Kosgama (Entry No342/15 dated 03-05-06). He was living at 139, Anandagama, Akaravita, Avissawella.
(11) Loganthirajah Komathy (36), Finance director of Aero Lanka Pvt Ltd, a private firm which is operating flights between Colombo and Jaffna was abducted from her residence at Rathmalana, at around 10pm by armed men who broke into her residence on August 22, 2006.
(12) Lal Premaratne (28), an employees of the same company and his wife Mrs.Premaratne (25) are also reported missing since the same evening. They were last seen leaving the office after work. All three are missing since then.
(14) Nadarajah Guruparan (age 39), news manager of Sooriyan FM, Tamil Radio channel was abducted by armed men near his residence at Mt.Lavinia, on August 29, 2006 early morning, when he was on his way to work.
Subsequently Guruparan was blind folded and taken to a place, one hour away from the location of abduction. After certain interrogation Guruparan was dropped at Kohuwela, the following morning.
(15) ThavarajahThavamani, a graduate computer engineer at MTV, a private media enterprise, was abducted on the morning of September 1, 2006 at Vivekananda Road in Wellawatte, when she was on her way to work. She was released by her captors on the same day night 10.30pm in Kirulapone.
Meanwhile in June, 2006 five headless bodies of men were found in an estate at Avissawella.
DNA tests indicated that two bodies of the five were Tamils, who had gone missing since May, 2006.
The two identified are Sivasamy Sukumar (40), a three wheeler driver, resident of Paradise place, Armour Street, Colombo 12 and Mahalingam Narendrakumar (31), a businessman, from Telangapatha Road, Wattala.
The identities of other three bodies are not yet confirmed but believed to be of Tamils.
Speaking to The Nation deputy minister of Vocational and technical training P. Radhakrishnan said prominent businessmen are being abducted and added one of his party men was also abducted.
He said he has complained to the authority but to no avail. He said his leader has already brought to the notice of the President but there has not been any response.
?We do not know who is behind this. Nowadays people identify themselves as CID or army intelligence and ask people accompany them in a white van.
?When we checked the registration numbers of the vehicles, we find that they are bogus. We suspect whether army intelligence are behind this,? he said.
He said this matter was also brought up in parliament. He also said as they have now decided to support the government they feel the government will take immediate action to look into these abductions.
NOS, 12.9.2006 MAIN PAGE