Man shot dead, 2 reported missing in Udupiddy

Young man shot dead, 2 reported “missing” in Udupiddy

[TamilNet, September 14, 2006 05:18 GMT]

A young man was shot dead in Uduppiddi in Vadamaradchi, around 12 noon, Wednesday. Meanwhile, Human Rights Commission in Jaffna said two men have been reports “missing” in Udupiddy since Monday evening.

Ilankovan Kandeepan, 26, owner of a welding shop along the Uduppiddy- Vathiri Road, was shot dead while he was on his way to his home at Kombu.

According to eyewitnesses, Kandeepan was chased by 4 armed men ridding in two motorbikes, along Uduppiddy – Vathiri road. He was later shot dead as he attempted to run in to house to escape from the attackers.

According to HRC office in Jaffna following persons have been reported “missing” in Uduppiddy since Monday evening:

1. Vinayagamoorthy Anantharajah, 32.

2. Sampasivam Vimalasangari, 24,

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SLA shot a youth in Valaichchenai

[TamilNet, September 14, 2006 05:30 GMT]
Sri Lankan Army (SLA) soldiers on a foot patrol shot a youth who allegedly attempted to run away having thrown a hand grenade on them in Vinayagapuram in the Valaichchenai Police area in Batticaloa district, around 1.30 p.m. Wednesday, Valaichchenai Police said.

The injured youth, Vinayagamoorthy Kunarathnamoorthy, 21, of Kalmadu Road, SLA sources said. His body was handed over to the Valaichchenai District Hospital for post- mortem. Valaichchenai is 30 km north of Batticaloa.

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Another foreign aid worker shot dead

[TamilNet, September 13, 2006 20:44 GMT]
A relief worker for the Seattle-based non-profit group World Concern has been killed in the Trincomalee district, where six weeks ago 17 aid workers were shot dead execution-style by Sri Lankan forces, reports said Tuesday. Ragunathan Ramalingam, a Tamil, was shot Monday while returning to the World Concern office on a motorcycle.

The motive for the killing is not clear, said Rhonda Manville, a spokeswoman for World Concern.

World Concern has staff members in Sri Lanka to aid with relief in the wake of the 2004 tsunami and to provide emergency services to those displaced by escalating civil conflicts.

Ragunathan had been with World Concern since 2005. He was returning from having lunch with his wife and five children, one of whom was born six days ago when he was killed.

His killing comes a month after the execution style killings of 16 Tamil and one Muslim staff of international aid agency Action Contre La Faim, which international truce monitors have blamed on the Sri Lankan security forces.

In a damning report published Wednesday August 31, the head of the Monitoring Mission, said the SLMM was “convinced that there cannot be any other armed groups than the Security Forces who could actually have been behind the act.”

Sri Lankan authorities have also begun harassing their staff in the aftermath of the SLMM’s findings enforcing new controls on foreign aid workers, AFP reported quoting senior aid workers.

A spokesman for non-governmental organisations (NGOs) told AFP about 500 foreign nationals working for about 90 charities had already applied for work permits but were still awaiting them.

The sentiment was echoed by World Concern this week. Asked about conditions in Sri Lanka, spokeswoman Maniville admitted: "it has been a rough place to work lately."

In January seven Tamil aid workers working for Tamil Rehabiliation Organisation were abducted by suspected Army-backed paramilitaries in the island’s Batticaloa district.

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