Victims to get swift compensation

Post-poll Jaffna violence:

Rohan Mathes

COLOMBO: The Presidential Committee of Inquiry to report on the incidents that look place in the aftermath of the Presidential Election 2005 in Jaffna peninsula, has recommended to the Government to take all precautions possible to avert a repeat of such incidents in future. It has also recommended to compensate duly, the victims' next of kin.

The Committee presented its report to President Mahinda Rajapaksa at Temple Trees yesterday. President Rajapaksa had appointed a two-member Committee comprising Retired Appeal Courts Judge, Justice Dharmasiri Jayawickrama as Chairman and Attorney-at-Law A. Javid Yusuf as a member of the committee of inquiry.

They were expected to report on the incidents that took place within the said period affecting the maintenance of law and order, those responsible for such occurrences and the remedial measures required for the prevention of such incidents in future.

The Committee had held public committee meetings in Colombo and Jaffna and recorded the evidence of 21 persons of the Armed Forces, the police and the civil community, within the period, 25.12.2005 to 31.01.2006.

Within this period, the Committee had investigated the assault of a group of policemen opposite the Jaffna University on 20.12.2005, the disappearances of Sebastianpillai Phillip Ruban, Rajarathnam Thevachandran and Rajiv Mohan, the abduction of Maheswaran Balaraj and the deaths of Paramasothy Piradeeman and Wijedarshan.

They had also investigated the Claymore mine killings of Armed Forces personnel in Kondavil, Point Pedro, Erappalay and Sarasalai and the assault near the Chavakachchari Bank of a civilian who succumbed to his injuries later.