Mannar deaths

THE Mannar Citizens Committee says that the Army killed 32 civilians in the district in the year 2000. Over 140 were detained and 12 have disappeared. Some 60 people are still being held in military camps within the district. Hindu priest Athinarayanasarma, his wife Kumudini and a relative were taken into custody on 12 January when they entered the district. The priest had been transferred from Batticaloa District to serve in a temple in Mannar. No reasons have been given for the arrest and detention.

According to the security forces, LTTE cadre continue to infiltrate Army-controlled areas in Mannar. On 6 January, explosives were found in a house at Murunkan, 12 miles south-east of Mannar town. Police say ten Tigers in the house at the time escaped.

The Northern Resettlement and Rehabilitation Authority (NRRA) says that the main aim in the year 2001 would be resettlement of refugees currently in military-held areas. In the beginning, some 2,000 families displaced from LTTE-controlled Mullaitivu and Kilinochchi districts would be temporarily settled on lands belonging to the state in Nanattan area, west of Murunkan. People displaced from Trincomalee and Vavuniya districts will be returned to their home areas. Reports say that the Army shot dead seven LTTE cadre during a search operation at Omanthai, seven miles north of Vavuniya town.

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