The Sri Lankan military said that the deaths of two homeless men who were sent to a military-run quarantine centre in Mullaitivu were not coronavirus related, prompting questions from locals as to why they had been detained and sent to the North-East by the armed forces.
Speaking to EconomyNext, Sri Lanka’s Air Force Spokesman Group Captain Dushan Wijesinghe confirmed that two men aged of 81 and 83 were hospitalised after falling ill at the Mullaitivu quarantine centre in Keppapulavu which is being occupied by the Sri Lanka Air Force. However, he said their deaths were not COVID-19 related. He added that the two were homeless men who were sent to quarantine from Pettah.
The statement has added to the opposition to these centres that local Tamils have demonstrated, since they have been set up by the military. In particular, the Keppapulavu camp is on occupied private land that local Tamils have been demanding back for several years.
