Tamil prisoners on fast unto death

Colombo, Oct 11: Tamil detainees at the Welikada prison began a fast unto death campaign, demanding a visit by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights(UNHCR) Louise Arbour to hear their grievances.

The High Commissioner is on a visit to the island nation since Tuesday to assess the human rights situation and is likely to meet President Mahinda Rajapaksa today and may also visit Jaffna to meet civil society leaders and rights groups reported Daily Mirror.

Eighty-six Tamil prisoners of cell G in ward 5 commenced the fast yesterday and several others of cells A, B, C and D are expected to extend support to the protest today brining the total number of protestors to more than one hundred, informed Welikada prison sources.

The Welikada prison houses about 486 Tamil prisoners, most of them transferred from the Boossa detention camp. The Tamil National Alliance (TNA), was also to apprise Ms Arbour about the plight of the Welikada political detainees.

UNI