Sri Lankan opposition politician raises fears over safety of Tamil detainees

Colombo, May 5 (ANI): A key Tamil opposition politician in Sri Lanka has said he fears for the safety of dozens of people detained by the government because of their past links to the Tamil Tigers.

The leader of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), R Sampanthan, claimed relatives of the detainees have no idea where their husbands or sons are.

"I hope they are safe. I hope they're alive. But that is a matter which is in doubt, because the whereabouts of these persons are not known," The BBC quoted Sampanthan, as saying.

"There is no reason whatever for the persons who have taken them into custody to be so secretive about where they are being held," he added.

Sampanthan also insisted that the detainees are being held illegally and on an arbitrary basis.

According to the report, the government has acknowledged holding them and said most will be put through a process it calls 'rehabilitation'.

The government also claims that all suspects have been brought before magistrates and that the families have been informed about their whereabouts.

The report quoted a police spokesman, as saying that all suspects were taken in under the Prevention of Terrorism Act on an order signed by President Mahinda Rajapaksa. (ANI)