The Hindu : Front Page : Abducted Red Cross workers in Sri Lanka found dead

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jun 05, 2007
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Abducted Red Cross workers in Sri Lanka found dead

B. Muralidhar Reddy

Humanitarian agencies condemn "murders"

COLOMBO: Two workers of the Sri Lanka Red Cross, abducted by unknown persons from the main railway station in the national capital on the evening of June 1, were found dead in Ratnapura district in the south.

The abductors appear to have driven them almost 90 km from Colombo, tied their hands to the back and shot them at point blank range. Sinnarasa Shanmugalingam (32) and Karthekesu Chandramohan (26) had worked for the Batticaloa branch of the Red Cross for many years.

They had been in Colombo attending a training workshop organised by the organisation's national headquarters.

At about 6.45 p.m. on June 1, they were abducted from Fort railway station in Colombo by unknown men while waiting to return to Batticaloa. Their bodies were found on June 2 at the Dumbara Estate in Kiriella, Ratnapura district.

Condemning the incident, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society Colombo/Geneva, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement said, "We are shocked by these brutal murders and wish to convey our sincere condolences to the family members and colleagues of the dead." In a joint statement they called upon the Sri Lankan authorities to carry out an immediate and comprehensive investigation into the killings and reminded the parties to the conflict that murder is prohibited under international humanitarian law, and that they must respect the work of humanitarian agencies and refrain from any acts that might jeopardise humanitarian staff or activities.

It also urged them to take all measures to ensure that aid workers assisting the civilian population and persons not are no longer taking part in the hostilities are spared from attack and can move freely and safely.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Presidential Secretariat said the timing of the abduction and killing of the Red Cross workers "seems to be clearly aimed at discrediting President Mahinda Rajapaksa and tarnishing the image of the Government abroad."

Inspector General of Police Victor Perera has appointed a special CID team to investigate the deaths.

The British High Commission, in a statement, said that two recent incidents highlight how serious the security situation and breakdown in law and order in Sri Lanka has become. Over the last week, a bomb was set off, almost certainly by the LTTE, in a crowded street in Ratmalana, the British High Commissioner said.

"The internal conflict and the violence connected to it are doing immense harm to the country. The longer the violence continues, the further the country gets from the conditions in which a lasting, negotiated peace can be obtained," the statement said.

Separately, the military said unidentified gunman suspected to be LTTE cadres, gunned down three civilians at Nallur in Jaffna on Monday afternoon. "According to the defence sources, the three victims were travelling on a motorbike along the Temple road when they were targeted by the LTTE gunman at 12:45 p.m.", it said

In related development, Sri Lanka Air Force fighter jets pounded "LTTE mortar positions and gathering places in Vavuniya" on Monday morning. "According to the defence sources, the air strike was launched at 9.15 a.m. and two LTTE mortar positions located in Palampiddi were completely destroyed due to the bombardment", the Defence Ministry claimed.

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