Govt. assures security of Jaffna

The Government will take all necessary measures to inquire into the allegations regarding the security situation in the Jaffna Peninsula and ensure its security, a senior minister said yesterday.

The Minister of Mass Media and Information Keheliya Rambukwella gave this assurance during the Cabinet press briefing at the Department of Information on Thursday in response to media inquiries on the security situation of the peninsula.

The Minister informed that the government would take the responsibility for ensuring the safety and well-being of the civilians in Jaffna.

Tamil parliamentarians have said that the mysterious killings, abductions, robberies, and rapes that happened in the past have returned to the region despite the high security maintained by the Sri Lanka Army.

The Tamil lawmakers have submitted a list of crimes that had taken place in the last two months and asked the government how the crimes take place when the area is under high military supervision.

Jaffna Security Forces Commander Major General Mahinda Hathurusinghe has said that the crimes are due to personal disputes as the people are returning to their original lands.  However, the Army had begun routine night patrols while assisting the police in maintaining law and order in Jaffna, he has said.

Police spokesman Prishantha Jayakody has told the Associated Press that the situation was not as bad as the lawmakers depicted.

“We have received just two complaints of killings and we have arrested the suspects in one of those cases. There is no major problem,” he has told AP.

Police nab alleged killer in Jaffna

The Kopay Police on Wednesday arrested a suspect who was involved in killing a civilian, the military said.

The police arrested Yogaraja Sathees for killing Kandasami Itheeyan of Pannikkara Road in Jaffna at around 8.30 p.m. on Wednesday. Sathees had allegedly stabbed the victim to death in a personal dispute, police sources said.

Kopay Police are conducting further investigations.