Tamil POW, detained for 10 years, launches hunger-strike at Anuradhapura prison

Sivaseelan Sivapragasam was 22 years when the SL military detained him on 19 May 2009 at Oamanthai in Vavuniyaa. He had lost his mother and a brother during the genocidal onslaught by the advancing SL military which directed indiscriminate artillery fire into the so-called ‘safe zone’. His father, Mr Sivapragasam, the only remaining family member outside the SL Prison who was tirelessly demanding the release of his son, also passed away on 16 December at Vaddak-kachchi in Ki'linochchi. The lone survivor of Sivapragasam family is now waging hunger-strike urging his release to at least conduct the 31st-day ritual ('Anthiraddi' rites) to his deceased father, his fellow inmates told media on Sunday.

The SL Attorney General's Department has been dilly-dallying the processing of the TPP cases for several years since 2009.

The TPPs have been waging hunger strikes several times. Their protests get always contained and stopped despite gaining momentum with student protests at the University of Jaffna.

The Tamil National Alliance, which has been blindly collaborating with the UNP in Colombo has thoroughly failed to secure the release of the Tamil Political Prisoners and the Prisoners of War.

The Colomb-based foreign diplomats of the West have been advising the TNA leaders R. Sampanthan and M. Sumanthiran to back the UNP without any conditions during the political turmoil, Tamil political observers in Jaffna said.