Jaffna youths threatened by the Sri Lanka Army SLA and allied paramilitary cadres are increasingly seeking security in the protective custody of Jaffna prison through the offices of the Human Rights Commission (HRC).
At least 24 youths have sought protection with the Jaffna HRC in the past two weeks, fearing their lives are in danger from SLA and collaborating paramilitaries.
Those seeking protective custody arrive at the HRC Jaffna office with their parents and relatives.
They are mostly from the villages of Thirunelveli, Kokuvil, Kondavil and Inuvil villages.
“The majority of the cases of abducted and killed in recent times are from these villages," Thirunelveli residents said.
4 youths from the Kondavil area surrendered to the HRC on Wednesday (Nov 22), HRC officials said.
Earlier six more youths from the Kondavil area surrendered Tuesday (Nov 21), and another four youths surrendered on Monday (Nov 20).
These 14 youths appeared at the Jaffna Magistrates courts Wednesday before being taken to Jaffna prison for protective custody on the orders of the Magistrate, press reports said.
But with Sri Lanka Army and Police personnel assigned responsibility for the security of the Jaffna prison, the danger to the lives of the surrendered youths still remains even inside the facility, rights activists in Jaffna said.
With the additional 8 youths in kept in protective custody earlier, 24 youths are currently held in the prison, HRC officials and parents of some of the youths said.
Placing those below 18 years of age in protective custody of Jaffna prison may cause legal complications and many local civil society organisations have requested the Jaffna office of the UN’s children’s agency, UNICEF, to make urgent arrangements to safeguard the lives of those below 18 threatened by the SLA and paramilitary groups.
"Most of the youths abducted and killed by the SLA are between the ages of 15 to 18, and the Organisations working to safeguard the welfare of children, including UNICEF in Jaffna, are yet to raise alarm, civil society leaders in Jaffna said.
There needs to be awareness of the escalating incidents of abductions and the fear and trauma of parents with teen age children in Jaffna, they said.
"Abductions and killings of the youth in the Jaffna peninsula have increased at an alarming rate. In the last 50 days from October first week to November 20, more than 130 documented cases of abductions and killings alleged to be perpetrated by the SLA soldiers," a local NGO official said on Nov 21.
Escaping a hail of bullets
A youth abducted by Sri Lankan troops at gun point from his house at Sebastian Lane, Kondavil East, Jaffna sought sanctuary Friday Nov 17 at the Jaffna office of the HRC, after surviving their efforts to shoot him.
Abducted on Nov 11 along with two other youths, Thambyaiyah Jegan 26, a bachelor and a painter, escaped from an SLA vehicle and went into hiding for week before surrendering to the HRC officials for safety.
In a statement to the HRC, Jegan said that he and two other youths were abducted by the SLA troopers of the Urelu SLA camp and were tortured at the camp premises for alleged links to the Liberation Tigers.
Later the three were taken in a Buffel armoured car to Anaipanthy, where soldiers opened fire at them.
Jegan had managed to escape amid a hail of gunfire while the other two were shot dead by the troopers, Jegan said in his statement.
During his arrest, armed soldiers had assaulted Jegan's mother when she had tried to stop the soldiers from taking her son.
Jegan was forced to get inside the Buffel armoured vehicle waiting in front of his house, and he saw two neighborhood youths, Ravi Rajivan , 14, and Thankaroopan Jeeva, 21, already held captive inside the vehicle.
The three abducted youths were severely tortured by the SLA troopers at the Urelu SLA camp and then taken to Anaipanthy where the SLA troopers pushed Ravi Rajivan to the ground and shot him with a pistol.
When Jegan was pushed to the ground he managed to free himself and fled the area narrowly escaping several rounds of fire aimed at him.
He took refuge inside a house and went underground till Friday, Jegan said in his statement.
He learnt later that the bodies of other two youths were found near Anaipanthy junction Sunday, where two SLA Intelligence Officers were killed in claymore attack on Thursday November 9.
