On the same day, two bombs were found near Fort police station in Colombo. Following the discovery, 13 Tamils in the Vavuniya-Colombo train were taken into custody. Twenty two more Tamils were arrested during a search of the Fort commercial area. One person was killed and 28 were seriously wounded by a bomb in a bus near Badulla in the Hill Country on 26 September. Over 50 Tamils were rounded-up in Kalutara on 27 September and eight were detained.
Fifteen Tamils in Kalutara prison began a hunger strike on 14 September protesting against prolonged detention. Mannar resident Anthonipillai Jesudasan, currently held in Kalutara prison, says he was arrested on 9 June and held for 45 days in a Vavuniya police station. His head was covered with a plastic bag dipped in petrol and he was attacked with plastic pipes filled with concrete. The case will be heard in June 2000.
According to Amnesty International, three Tamils arrested in August suffered severe torture in police stations. Colombo lawyer N Srikantha says 50% of the 800 Tamil detainees in Kalutara under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) are held for over four years without trial. The protest fast ended on 21 September after lawyer Kumar Ponnambalam was granted an interview with some judges.
Lawyers say cases where witnesses do not appear for several court hearings should be dismissed. Where a confession is rejected by court in one case, the other cases filed against the same person based on such confession should be withdrawn. Where a detainee has several cases against him in different courts, all cases should be brought before one judge.
After the meeting on 26 September, Mr Ponnambalam said that the judges had agreed to consider the factors causing delay and expedite the cases which have already been filed. But the judges said they did not have the power to instruct the Attorney General’s (AG) Department to file cases.
Mr Ponnambalam filed a fundamental rights application in the Supreme Court in September after Helitours Ltd refused him a ticket. Mr Ponnambalam was scheduled to visit Jaffna on 6 September to represent the relatives of the people disappeared in Army custody, during excavation of Chemmani graves. The airline company had demanded a “Ministry of Defence Clearance Certificate” which all travellers to Jaffna are expected to obtain. Mr Ponnambalam says that there is no provision in law for such a demand and his rights of movement and equality have been breached.