Batticaloa people are concerned that no action is being taken against soldiers committing human rights violations. Local MP Joseph Pararajasingham says that security forces fired indiscriminately while celebrating the New Year and killed R Suriyaprakash, 18, of Iruthayapuram. On 17 January, the Kalmunai court ordered the police to appoint a senior officer and submit a special progress report in the case of student S Sanjayan who allegedly died of torture in custody. The order was made after lawyers complained that the police had not made any progress in the investigation for the last three months.
Four policewomen and three civilians were wounded in a Tiger bomb attack at Kallady, south of Batticaloa town on 13 January. Following the incident, the police fired indiscriminately killing 13 year-old P Thivakaran. The Pistol Group shot and wounded two military intelligence officers on 18 January at Chenkalady. In an attack at Punanai on two bowsers carrying kerosene from Colombo on 20 January, the LTTE killed a driver and wounded two others.
Colombo human rights agency, the Forum for Human Dignity says that S Ketheeswaran was taken away by armed men in a white van, the hallmark of military death squads, on 9 January. The Army has denied his arrest. Nine Tamil youths were arrested in Batticaloa town on 12 January.
Reports say that G Rameshkumar, 19, who was abducted by masked men on the night of 19 January in Pandiruppu was released from the police Special Task Force camp in Karaitivu. The Army took Eastern University’s employee K Muthulingam into custody on 30 January following a grenade attack on a military convoy. Relatives say they have not been informed of the place of detention.
A hartal or general strike was held in Batticaloa on 28 January following government plans to introduce a pass system for those resident in the district and travellers. A pass system is currently in force in the Vanni affecting the freedom of movement of the people.
In Amparai District, the LTTE ambushed an Army patrol near Gonagala on 14 January, killing two soldiers. Colombo Tamil newspaper Virakesari says that the Tigers publicly executed Navithanveli resident T Ravindran, at Pattipalai, accusing him of ‘anti-social’ activities. Mr Ravindran had been on the run following the murder of his wife. Ten other prisoners brought to the execution site were taken away by the Tigers.