FORWARDED APPEAL (Sri Lanka): Abduction of Children’s Home Director of Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) 

Abducted person:
Mr. Krishnapillai Kamalanathan
National Identity Card No.:  81335143
Date of Birth:  29/11/81
Occupation: Director of Sonobo Children’s Home – Vaharai

At approximately 10:20 AM on 2 July 2006, Mr. Krishnapillai Kamalanathan, the Director of TRO’s Sonobo Childrens’ Home, and Mr. Thevarajah Nageshwaran were stopped at the Oddumavadi Bridge Army (Government of Sri Lanka) Checkpoint.  The two men were traveling on a motorcycle.

They were stopped at the checkpoint, checked by the Army and told to register at the police checkpoint.  The men were detained for 1.5 hours and then allowed to proceed.  After crossing the bridge the motorcycle driven by Mr. Nageshwaran was followed and stopped by 2 men on another motorcycle.  The men stated that they were from the “Karuna Group [a breakaway faction from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)]” and forced Mr. Krishnapillai Kamalanathan on to their motorcycle and took him away.  Mr. Thevarajah Nageshwaran was released and allowed to proceed on the motorcycle.

Mr. Kamalanathan has not been heard of since.

Mr. Kamalanathan is married and his wife is pregnant with their first child.  He is the Director of TRO’s Sonobo Children’s Home in Vaharai which cares for 48 girls and 43 boys who were orphaned by the war or tsunami.  The home receives financial support from the Denmark Sonobo Children’s Home Society and the London Youth Society.

A Police report has been made and TRO has requested the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) and the government of Sri Lanka to fully investigate this incident and to ensure the safe release of Mr. Kamalanathan.

TRO Colombo
http://www.trousa.org/