Sri Lankan HC makes Officer pay for LTTE man’s murder

A retired Sri Lankan Army Lieutenant, who was charged with murdering an LTTE member in 1998, was made to payRs.2 million to the victim’s family as per a High Court ruling.

The Colombo High Court sentenced the officer to two years of rigorous imprisonment and suspended him for ten years over the death of Robert Velinthan in custody in 1998. The officer was accused of shooting carelessly and murdering a handcuffed Velinthan in Point Pedro town in Jaffna district as the latter was trying to flee the Army’s custody. According to United Nations estimates, more than 40,000 civilians were killed in Sri Lanka during the final phase of the three-decade long Tamil conflict. The Sri Lankan government disputes the casualty numbers.