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A court in Sri Lanka has allowed the police to further detain two senior doctors accused of supporting the LTTE. After visiting the headquarters of police Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Colombo chief magistrate Nishantha Hapuarachchi allowed the police to further question two medical officials. Medical Superintendants of Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu districts, T Satyamurthi and T Varatharajah were hence detained until 24 August. The magistrate was told by the two doctors that they had no complaints to make on their plight. UN response The two medical officers and three other doctors are accused of helping the LTTE by supplying information to foreign media that security forces launched attacks on civilians in 'no fire zone' at the last stages of the war.
In a press conference held at the Media Centre for National Security on 08 July the five doctors recanted their story. They exaggerated figures for civilian casualties, they told reporters, because of pressure on them from the Tamil Tiger rebels, who controlled the area where they were working. However, the United Nations said the world body has no intention to revise the casualty figures as a result of doctors' confessions. "We have no plans to revise any of the statements that we made regarding the conflict," UN Spokesman in Colombo Gordon Weiss told the BBC. New York Times UN reports revealed more than 7,000 civilians were killed between January and the end of the conflict in May 2009. Mr. Weiss said : "We won't pass judgement about the doctors and what they said. There is no question that the doctors performed courageously and under extremely difficult circumstances. Recanting makes no difference to performing their central task, which was to provide medical services for the population in difficult times." Meanwhile, in an opinion piece published in New York Times on Wednesday, the paper has called on Sri Lanka authorities to release the five doctors. "On July 8, their captors forced them to recant their stories. This farce should end: They should be freed," it said. | LOCAL LINKS  Lanka medics recant on deaths Sandeshaya Sri Lanka doctors 'to be tried'Sandeshaya Appeal to free Sri Lanka doctors 19 May, 2009 | Sandeshaya EU calls for war crimes inquiry 18 May, 2009 | Sandeshaya Calls mount for Sri Lanka probe30 May, 2009 | Sandeshaya | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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On July 8, their captors forced them to recant their stories. This farce should end: They should be freed
