Mannar - A Christian Priest, Fr. Nocholaspillai Packiyaraj, the Mannaar district coordinator of Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) was killed today when Sri Lanka Army Deep Penetration Unit (DPU) attackers launched a Claymore attack on his Hiace vehicle, riding on Mannaar - Pooneryn Road.
An assistant of the priest, Juliyan, was rushed to hospital with injuries. The JRS is an international Catholic organization with a mission is to accompany, serve and defend the rights of refugees and forcibly displaced people.
Under the President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s government rules in Sri Lanka for last two years, it is accused of being responsible for the numerous abductions, disappearances and extrajudicial killings of civilians, including aid workers, journalists, religious leaders and intellectuals.
In early this year, a 38-year old, a priest, Nallathamby Gnanaseelan, who lead the Tamil Mission Church in Jaffna was reportedly shot and killed in an execution style by the Sri Lankan security forces in Chapel Street after he had taken his wife and daughter to hospital.
On August 20th 2006, the Allaipiddy Pastor Rev. Fr. Jim Brown and his aid Mr. Vimalathas disappeared at the Sri Lankan Navy Checkpoint. Five months have passed since they disappeared and their wellbeing and whereabouts are still unknown.
The Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) and its armed forces (SLA) are charged by many NGOs such as ICRC, AI, HRW, UNHRC, AHRC, and TRO as the worst human rights violators and called for international monitors and sanctions against Sri Lanka.
The year 2006 and 2007 were marred by a bloody upsurge in violence throughout the island Nation with over 5,400 people killed including 44 aid workers and 10 journalists, close to 500,000 people internally displaced (IDP) while thousands of people were abducted and hundreds are missing in the north and east of Sri Lanka.
(http://www.tamileelamnews.com/news/publish/tns_8704.shtml)
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