Sri Lanka's Criminal Investigation Department (CID) ordered the Northern Provincial Council member, M. K. Shivajilingam to the CID headquarters in Colombo for questioning, it emerged this week, over comments he had made about Mullivaikkal commemorations at a press conference at Jaffna Press Club in May
Mr Shivajilingam however has refused to travel, informing the CID that he is unable to travel to Colombo, a minimum 8 hour journey from Valvettithurai, where he is based.
If the CID wish to take a statement from him, they should come to Valvettithurai police station, Mr Shivajilingam said.
Last week, a freelance Tamil journalist was interrogated by CID about Mr Shivajilingam’s press conference.
The questioning of the journalist took place in Jaffna after the journalist informed he was unable to travel to Colombo due to injuries sustained from a road accident.
The summons to Colombo had raised concern among the media community in the North, as the CID headquarters and especially its ‘4th floor’ were notorious for the widespread torture of detainees.