COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — A Sri Lankan court has ordered the detention of the country's top military officer for investigation in connection with the abduction and disappearance of 11 young people during the country's civil war that ended nine years ago.
The court on Wednesday ordered that Chief of Staff Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne be held until Dec. 5
Wijegunaratne has been accused of giving refuge to former navy Lieutenant Commander Chandana Prasad Hettiarachchi, who is the main suspect in the abduction of the 11 young people in 2008-2009. They are believed to have been murdered while being held for ransom at a naval base.
Wijegunaratne is also accused of helping Hettiarachchi evade police. Hettiarachchi was arrested in August.