A Tamil man was brutally assaulted and hospitalised by Sri Lankan Navy personnel as he returned to Thalaimannar by boat after living in India for 18 years.
The victim, Thangaiya David Balanthiran, from Udaiyaarkattu, Mullaitivu, fled to India in 2007 at the age of 18. He was trying to return to the North-East on August 22 when he was detained by the Sri Lankan Navy.
The 40-year-old victim has a heart condition and was carrying the relevant medical reports but these were ignored by the Navy. Following the attack, the Navy took him to Thalaimannar police station before he was admitted to hospital. The Magistrate visited Balanthiran in hospital and ordered that he is held in remand until August 28.
Balanthiran was initially receiving treatment at the Mannar District Hospital, but was later transferred to the Jaffna Teaching Hospital for further care, where he remains under treatment.
Many Eelam Tamils fled to India during and after the brutal final stages of Sri Lanka’s armed conflict in 2009, when the Sri Lankan military carried out mass atrocities against Tamil civilians, killing tens of thousands in what has increasingly been recognised as a genocide.
