POLICE SAY THE THREE LTTE SUSPECTS DEPORTED FROM BANGKOK ARE NOT HELD INCOMMUNICADO

(By Walter Jayawardhana)

The three LTTE suspects who were deported by Thai authorities to Colombo for possessing of illegal arms are not held incommunicado in Sri Lanka said Sri Lanka's Deputy inspector General of Police Jayantha Wickramaratne.
He was responding to London based Amnesty International (AI) charges that they were held incommunicado in Sri Lanka unable to contact their relatives.
The AI charged the LTTE suspects deported by Thai authorities, Sujith Gunapala, Sasikaran Thevarajah and Satyaphavan Aseervatham, who were arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) upon their arrival at the International Airport at Colombo were kept incommunicado by the police.
They were deported from Bangkok after their applications for political asylum in Thailand by the three Sri Lankan nationals were refused by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
The police spokesman said that so far no request has been received by the relatives or any lawyers to meet those people in custody,
The police said the three suspects were being held by the police for some offences they had committed against Sri Lankan laws before they they left for Thailand including those of regulations regarding immigration and emigration.
A BBC Sandeshaya interviewer asked the police to reveal where they were being held and the police spokesman said that cannot be divulged due security reasons. When the Sandeshaya interviewer asked him how come it could be assured that the place would not be divulged if the relatives were allowed to visit them the police said then, the suspects would be brought to some other place where they could easily communicate with them.
The AI has stated that the suspects face the danger of being tortured.