Sri Lanka: Police 'to release' detainee details

BBC Sinhala
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Sri Lankan Police say they will release the information about those held by the police Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) to relatives. However, concerned organisations will not be given the details.

"On the request of detainees we are not releasing their information to any body other than the close relatives”, police spokesperson SP Prishantha Jayakodi told BBC Sandeshaya.

Police will set up three centres in Colombo, Vavniya and Galle.

“The centres will operate twenty four hours a day but information is available only to close relatives” the spokesperson said.

Any relative who wants to find out the well being of their loved ones detained by the TID can either contact the centres by telephone or visit the centres in person, he added.

According to the police spokesman SP Jayakodi, information about the suspects detained by the Military will not be available unless the detainees were handed over to the TID.

How many in detention?

In his address to the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe said that out of the 11,644 ex-combatants who surrendered or were arrested at the end of the conflict, 6,530 have already been rehabilitated and reintegrated into society.

Human rights organisations have been campaigning to reveal details of those held in detention.

SP Jayakodi declined to reveal how many people are detained by the TID.

“There are people arrested under detention orders and some of them are in remand custody after producing before the courts, we will release information of the suspects held under detention orders” SP Jayakodi added.

© BBC Sinhala