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Probe on missing priests

A special team of police investigators from Colombo have been sent to Jaffna to investigate the disappearance of a Christian priest and a Catholic priest, Police Chief Chandra Fernando said.

The team reached Jaffna on Friday and questioned over 30 people in the area, but the investigators had not obtained any clues regarding the disappearance, he said.

The police are trying to uncover if the priests were abducted. Investigations have revealed that a few priests had been intimidated by the security forces.

Rev. Vincent Vinodharaja (35), father of one, who left his home in the village of Ellaiththeru in Meesalai in Thenmaradchi, Jaffna, on August 11 has not been seen since.

Immediately after Fr. Vincent disappeared fellow priests of his church reported his disappearance to the Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission. He is the second priest to be reported missing since the fighting broke out in Jaffna.

Head of the Sri Lanka Church of the Apostle in Jaffna, Rev. Fr. Nalliah Jeyarajah had filed a complaint at the SLHRC office in Jaffna.

A few days later Rev.Fr. Thiruchelvam Nihal Jim Brown, (34), the parish priest of Allaippiddy, was reported missing since August 20.

A man identified as Wenceslaus Vincent Vimalan (38) who accompanied Fr. Jim Brown is also reported missing. Fr. Jim Brown was said to be assisting families in the Allaipiddy area to move towards safer areas and worked with the Sri Lanka Red Cross to transfer the injured from Allaipiddy after artillery shells had hit a church which housed internally displaced people.

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