By C. Subhadarshani
COLOMBO – The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has sealed off an alleged clandestine detention facility known as the ‘Gun Site’ within the Trincomalee Naval Base as investigations expand into a series of abduction, disappearance and torture allegations linked to the location.
The move comes ahead of a scheduled inspection of the site by the Trincomalee Magistrate on Thursday (18), following the emergence of new evidence suggesting that a significantly larger number of individuals may have been detained there than previously known.
Investigators have informed court that evidence gathered during ongoing inquiries indicates that approximately 60 individuals were allegedly held at the facility over a period of time. Some victims are alleged to have been subjected to torture and extortion, while others are reported to have disappeared after being detained.
The inspection is expected to form part of broader judicial proceedings related to several high-profile disappearance cases, including the long-running case involving 11 youths who were allegedly abducted and disappeared during the final years of Sri Lanka’s civil conflict.
According to investigators, recent inquiries have uncovered information suggesting that the facility may have been used to detain additional individuals whose cases were not previously linked to the site.
The CID is currently conducting investigations connected to multiple court cases involving alleged enforced disappearances and unlawful detention.
Among them is the case relating to the disappearance of an individual identified as Shantha from Kegalle, which is being heard before the Polgahawela Magistrate’s Court. Investigators have also submitted a report to the Colombo Magistrate’s Court regarding the disappearance of two Tamil youths in Colombo.
Sources familiar with the investigation said several individuals who were allegedly detained at the facility have recently come forward to provide confidential testimony before judicial authorities. It is also understood that certain persons believed to have been involved in the operation of the site have volunteered information as part of the ongoing inquiries.
The alleged detention facility, commonly referred to as the ‘Gun Site’, has been the subject of allegations for years, with human rights advocates and families of missing persons claiming it was used as a secret detention and interrogation centre during the conflict period.
-ENCL
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.