Counsel says eyewitnesses were not guaranteed their safety

S Ratnavel, counsel representing the families of the 17 aid workers killed in Muttur, said the experts returned after spending 20 days in the island.

The expert team on explosives has been invited by the Sri Lanka government to help investigate the murder of the local workers of France based aid organisation, Action Against Hunger (ACF).

Witness protection

The counsellor told the magistrate court in Kanthale that the authorities have failed to guarantee the safety of the eye witnesses.

	ACF protested slow progress of the murder investigation

Head of the CID team investigating the murder, SI Sanjaya Perera, told the court of the importance to issue death certificates based on post mortem reports of the killed workers.

He said so far no eyewitness accounts were produced before courts.

Rejecting the claim counsel Ratnavel said the families were not merely looking for death certificates.

Finding the culprits

They would like to know the truth about the incident and find the perpetrators, the counsel added.

17 aid workers of Action Against Hunger (ACF) were found murdered on 04 August in Muttur.

The killing sparked international calls for justice.

Describing it as a "war crime" the internationa community called on the authorities to conduct full independent investigation into the killing.

But the ACF expressed concern of the lack of progress in the investigation.