Abduction of UN personnel in Sri Lanka

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama on Monday expressed to a United Nations official the Government's concern about the abduction and detention of two U.N. staff members by the LTTE in February.

The Acting U.N. Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator and Representative and Resident Director of the World Food Programme, Jeff Taft Dick, was summoned to the Foreign Ministry in this regard. The Minister told Mr. Dick that the "failure" on the part of the U.N. to bring this matter to the notice of the Foreign Ministry until April 27 was "unacceptable".

Mr. Bogollagama maintained that the "failure" of the U.N. Office in Sri Lanka made it difficult for the Government to discharge its obligations under the 1994 U.N. Convention on the Safety of the U.N. and Associated Personnel, to which Sri Lanka is a party.

At a news conference here, the Minister said that Sri Lanka was surprised to note that the abduction and detention of these persons had not been brought to the notice of the U.N. Secretary-General, judging by statements made by the Secretary-General's spokesperson in New York on April 20.

The Minister, who noted that the Government was also concerned by the reference in the U.N. statement to this `abduction' as an `arrest', said the circumstances relating to this incident could be perceived as an attempt by the U.N. authorities in Sri Lanka to shield the LTTE's criminal actions.

The Minister said that since the continued abduction of one of the U.N. staff was officially reported to the Government on April 27, the authorities concerned would proceed to take action in this matter.

Mr. Dick told the Minister that of the two staff members, one had already been released and that S.P. Thamilchelvan, head of the political wing of the LTTE, had agreed that the matter relating to the other would be reviewed further.

To inform U.N.

He reportedly told the Minister that the use of terminology of `arrest' was a mistake, and that the United Nations classified this as abduction. He said that he would convey the concerns of the Sri Lanka Government to the United Nations.

The military said that a soldier was injured when the LTTE cadres opened fire at a group of army soldiers at Neelapola in Trincomalee on Monday evening. The attack took place around 7.15 p.m. as the Army was conducting a foot patrol in the area.

In another incident, troops conducting clearing operations in the Pankulam area in Trincomalee, found stocks of ammunition. They included ammunition for 12.7mm machine guns, multi-purpose machine guns and T-56 rifles.

The military further reported that in Jaffna, civilians continue their cooperation with the Sri Lanka security forces by providing valuable information on hidden terror arms in the area.