Two prominent LTTE leaders missing after arrest in 2009, wives tell war panel

COLOMBO - The wives of two prominent Tamil Tiger leaders in Sri Lanka have claimed that their husbands went missing right after they were arrested by the army last year.

According to the BBC, like hundreds of Tamils and Muslims, the wives of LTTE spokesman Rasiah Ilantherian and head of the Tiger intelligence wing in Batticaloa, Prabha testified their plight before the ‘Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission.’

The Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission conducted hearings over the weekend.

Punitharuban Vanitha, the wife of the Tamil Tiger spokesman Ilantherian said that her husband was taken away by the army on 17 May 2009, just before the Tigers suffered their final defeat. She further claimed of being assured that her husband would be returned after his minor injuries were treated, which never happened.

Prabha’s wife, Bobitha Prabhaharan, also said her husband was detained in May last year, and has heard nothing from him since then.

Although the government has made no comment about these cases, it earlier rejected accusations of abductions by human rights groups.

Meanwhile, representatives of the Muslim community have told the panel that they have not been able to resettle in their ancestral lands as Tamils are still occupying them since the time of the conflict. They warned of renewed conflicts if they were not given back their lands.

Critics have questioned the credibility of the investigation and raised concern whether its report would ever be published. (ANI)