Police say five Black Tigers, including Athavan and Athilan were arrested. Kochchikade suburb was surrounded on 17 September and several Tamils were detained. Pettah commercial district was searched on 23 September and many people were paraded before thalayattis or masked informers. Nugegoda police took into custody seven Tamil youths working in the Colombo port, in late September.
Allegations of illegal arrest and torture in Colombo and the south continues. Kandasamy Lingeswaran, arrested on 3 September 1993 remains in custody for the last four years without charge or trial. Mr Lingeswaran suffered torture at an Army camp and the Crimes Detection Bureau (CDB). Mohamed Basheer was neither informed of the reasons nor a receipt issued when he was arrested in Kalpitty in October last year. He alleges he was brutally tortured and burned after he refused to massage the legs of a police officer and locked in a pig sty.
Colombo Chief Magistrate has ordered a medical examination of G Sivarajah, 22, who was arrested in a Pettah lodge last November and suffered torture for three months at the hands of the CDB. Selvarajah Ravindran who was arrested on 8 February in Trincomalee is currently in custody at Kalutara prison and has not been informed of the reasons for his arrest as required by Emergency regulations.
Yatheesh Sinniah, taken into custody on 13 August says in a fundamental rights application to the Supreme Court that he was detained at the notorious Fourth Floor of the police headquarters and severely tortured. The Supreme Court hearing a fundamental rights application filed by former Jaffna GA S Pathmanathan ordered the Attorney General in mid-September to explain reasons for his arrest. Mr Pathmanathan who was detained on 28 August on allegations of providing funds to the LTTE while in office, says police attempted to obtain a confession from him forcibly.
Former Tamil Senator Neethirajah’s house at Kotahena suburb in Colombo was robbed on 24 September by a five-member armed gang which gained entry by posing as criminal investigation officers. Police have arrested a serving Airforce member and an Army deserter. Mrs Thilagavathy Neethirajah died of shock during the robbery.
A bomb exploded in the Tamil party EPDP’s Colombo office on 11 September killing party administrative officer Thambirajah Vadivelu. Colombo’s Chief Magistrate has ordered the police to carry out investigations as the death of Mr Vadivelu occurred in suspicious circumstances.