Despite international concern and calls for the Sri Lankan government to reign in the deteriorating human rights situation, abductions and disappearances in war-torn Northeast and in the capital Colombo, blamed on the Sri Lankan security forces, has increased in recent weeks.
The US State Department’s Human Rights reports on Sri Lanka, published in mid-March highlighted that "the overwhelming majority of victims of human rights violations, such as killings and disappearances, were young male Tamils."
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, also noted that those who disappear are "primarily young ethnic Tamil men."
Backing the US report and the UN high commissioners accusations, both local and international media reported numerous cases of abductions and disappearances that took in the past few weeks alone.
On Sunday March 16, Yogarajah Arunrajah, 21, a Tamil youth who had come from Jaffna to go abroad, was forcibly dragged away from his residence at Sangamiththa Mawata by armed men in police uniform, reported TamilNet. His mother complained to Kotahena police, whilst relatives sought assistance from Deputy Minister P. Rathakrishnan, an Upcountry Peoples' Front parliamentarian. Though Mr. Rathakrishnan contacted the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the Terrorist Investigation Department (TID), he was unable to obtain information on Arunrajah’s whereabouts .
The US State Department’s Human Rights reports on Sri Lanka, published in mid-March highlighted that "the overwhelming majority of victims of human rights violations, such as killings and disappearances, were young male Tamils."
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, also noted that those who disappear are "primarily young ethnic Tamil men."
Backing the US report and the UN high commissioners accusations, both local and international media reported numerous cases of abductions and disappearances that took in the past few weeks alone.
On Sunday March 16, Yogarajah Arunrajah, 21, a Tamil youth who had come from Jaffna to go abroad, was forcibly dragged away from his residence at Sangamiththa Mawata by armed men in police uniform, reported TamilNet. His mother complained to Kotahena police, whilst relatives sought assistance from Deputy Minister P. Rathakrishnan, an Upcountry Peoples' Front parliamentarian. Though Mr. Rathakrishnan contacted the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the Terrorist Investigation Department (TID), he was unable to obtain information on Arunrajah’s whereabouts .
