Hold military chief, Sri Lanka judge says
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — A Sri Lankan court on Wednesday ordered the detention of the country’s top military officer for investigation in connection with the abduction and disappearance of 11 young people, including ethnic minority Tamils, during the country’s civil war that ended nine years ago.
Fort Magistrate Ranga Dissanayake ordered that Chief of Defense Staff Adm. Ravindra Wijegunaratne be held until Dec. 5, saying he could obstruct the investigation because of the key post he holds. Wijegunaratne was the former chief of the navy.
Wijegunaratne has been accused of giving refuge to former navy Lt. Cmdr. Chandana Prasad Hettiarachchi, who is the main suspect in the abduction of the 11 young people in 2008-09. They are believed to have been murdered while being held for ransom at a naval base.
Wijegunaratne is also accused of helping Hettiarachchi evade police. Hettiarachchi was arrested in August, and several other navy troops have been detained in the alleged scheme to make money.
A large number of people were reported missing during the civil war that ended in 2009.
Many were abducted by government paramilitary personnel over alleged links to the now-defeated Tamil Tiger rebels. Rebels also abducted civilians as forced conscripts. Many people who gave themselves up to the military in the final stages of the war are also unaccounted for.