Human
Rights Commission (HRC) offices in Jaffna reported Sunday that four
youths have disappeared and four others have been abducted from
their houses by armed men wearing black uniforms in the last 48
hours, sources in Jaffna said. Jaffna residents are gripped with
fear as abductions by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and SLA-backed
paramilitaries under Mahinda Rajapakse Government have exceeded the
dangerous levels witnessed during Colombo's 1997 counter-insurgency
campaign, civil society sources said.
Four youths who had set out from their homes to Jaffna town from
different suburbs on different errands disappeared Saturday,
according to HRC complaints filed by the relatives. Details of the
youths are:
Jeyachandran Prathap, 29, from Rasa Veethy (road) in Atchuvely,
Maiyoor Chandramohan, 27, from Aavarangal in Puthur,
Devadas Christy Prasanna, 26, from Kovil Veethy (road), Nalllur, and
Balasingham Surendran, 25, Sivan Veethy (road), Thirunelvely.
The four youths are not related and independently had come to Jaffna
and have not returned home, according to relatives.
Meanwhile, four youths were abducted during the last two days in
Jaffna district, according to HRC officials.
Jesuthasan Jeyasuthan, 25, from Nethar Lane in Manipay was abducted
at 4:30 a.m. Sunday by armed men who entered his house in Manipay,
according to relatives,
Paramsamy Visaharan, 25, was abducted from his home Saturday,
Marimuththu Kumutharaj, 28, from Kandy Road, Ariyalai was abducted
by armed men at 4:45 a.m. Sunday, and
Amirthalingam Alaheswaran, 29, was abducted at 9:00 p.m. Saturday
from Nedunkulam, Ariyalai Jaffna, HRC officials reported.