MONITORING MISSION AND RED CROSS REPRESENTATIVES VISIT LANCE CORPORAL KARUNARATNA
(By Walter Jayawardhana reporting from Los Angeles)
The International Red Cross representatives joined Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission members in visiting Lance Corporal R. M. Karunaratne who was captured when 12 other soldiers were killed at Valkerni by the terrorists of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
The red cross was not allowed to take their own doctor to examine Karunaratne but the red cross representative Sukumar Rockwood said Karunaratne had only a minor bullet wound on his back.
He said it was being treated by the LTTE and Karunaratne looked cheerful and was dressed in clean clothes. But, the red cross representatives were not allowed to talk to him privately.
The red cross representatives were anyhow allowed to carry a letter from Karunaratne to his family and it will be handed over as soon as possible.
R. M. Karunaratne was captured July 14 but the LTTE delayed this visit by telling that they needed the permission of the Vanni high command for a visit to Karunaratne. The Red Cross said an appeal has been made to them to obtain a date for the relatives of Karunaratne to visit him.
The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission officials and the Red Cross representatives met Karunaratne at the Thenham building, an official center of the terrorist outfit at Karadiyanaru near Batticaloa.
The meetings of the parties were held at 5 p.m. July 19 and Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission’s Batticaloa head Sari Rask and his deputy met Daya Mohan of the terrorist group participated in this meeting.
