Sri Lanka Frees 667 Prisoners; Torture Claimed

Sri Lanka today released 667 more Tamil prisoners under a peace accord to end ethnic strife, and some said they were tortured and abused by security forces.

Reporters witnessed the departure of 667 Tamils from Galle port in southernmost Sri Lanka after their release from Boosa Prison a few miles away. The Tamils had been held as suspected terrorists.

Indian naval ships took them to their homes in the east and north of Sri Lanka.

The government says it holds up to 5,000 Tamil prisoners, most of them detained without trial for more than one year. On Saturday, the government released 291 from Boosa. Today’s releases raised the total of those freed to 958.

‘Beaten With Barbed Wire’

“Our fingernails were pulled out, and we were beaten with pipes and barbed wire,” Kandaswamy Thavarajaha, 27, from northern Mannar, told reporters today.

He claimed that nine Tamils were beaten to death by soldiers just outside detention camps in June, when the Tamils went to help three friends who purportedly were shot by soldiers because the prisoners were late for meals.

Many released men claimed they were tortured and abused in detention in various camps before being taken to Boosa.

The releases are expected to be completed by Aug. 18, the deadline for a weapons surrender by Tamil militants and the opening date for Parliament.

Strike Protests Torture

Tamils in the north and east declared a strike Sunday to protest alleged torture by security forces, delaying the rebel arms surrender.

The government denied that its forces were behind the detention camp deaths.

Parliament will consider approval of the peace accord signed July 29 by President Junius R. Jayewardene and Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.