The former Sri Lankan president and chair of the newly established Office for National Unity and Reconciliation (ONUR), Chandrika Kumaratunga, called for some political prisoners to be released.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Ms Kumaratunga described the prisoners as falling into three categories and stressed that those who she called "LTTE murderers", could not be released "just like that".
"There are only about 300 political prisoners who are in prisons, and the thousands who were reported missing are not imprisoned in secret camps; perhaps they have disappeared for good.These 300 have been categorised into three," she was quoted by Ceylon Today as saying.
"One are those who are in custody without charges brought against them and without sufficient evidence to indict them. These are about 100 or less. Those people, I and we all feel, should be released and perhaps rehabilitated."
"Then there is another category against whom there is definite evidence of serious crimes and they have been indicted in courts. Those people can't be released just like that. If we are going to indict military people for war crimes how can we justify releasing LTTE murderers against whom there is clear evidence."
"Then there is a third category of prisoners who are still being investigated, but the investigations are too slow and dragging on. That must be expedited."
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