Sri Lankans To Be Tried For Tsunami Death

[fuzzo]

did anyone see this on tv?

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - Two men who snatched a gold chain from a woman struggling in the waves of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami will be tried for murder, Sri Lanka's solicitor general said Saturday.

After yanking her necklace, the two let Dineti Deshika fall back into the torrent. Her body was found after the waters receded.

The incident in the southern port city of Galle got wide publicity and condemnation in Sri Lanka, where the Dec. 24 tsunami killed at least 35,000 people and affected 1 million.

The Daily Mirror newspaper splashed photographs of two men pulling the woman after the first wave struck. The photo series showed the men yanking the gold chain from her neck and then fighting each other for the jewelry. They then left Deshika to be carried away into the sea.

After the publication of the photos, police tracked down Ruwan Mapalagamage and Ajith Kumara on Jan. 13, 2005. Both are residents of Galle. They were charged with theft, which now will be upgraded to murder.

"We have gone through all the evidences, especially the photos and a video footage and we have come to the conclusion to try the two for murder," Solicitor General C.R. de Silva told The Associated Press.

If convicted, the pair could face the death penalty. Sri Lanka, however, has not executed anyone in three decades, despite lifting a 1976 moratorium on the death penalty in December 2004.

De Silva said he has prepared all the paper work but was unsure when the charges would be presented at Sri Lanka's High Court.

He said he will file a direct indictment to the High Court because of the high-profile nature of the case.

Days after the tsunami, police arrested dozens of people for looting, some making off in trucks carrying refrigerators, washing machines and furniture from coastal homes and hotels.

The Indian Ocean tsunami claimed at least 216,000 lives in 12 countries in one of the world's worst natural disasters in memory.

[mariner]

did anyone see this on tv?

Did they show the case on TV? not in sl so cant see but I did see the pics when they appeared in the daily mirror after the tsunami, was a sickening sight...

And wats that about raping a dead body

[Watchman]

There woz smethin like dat....it was in da galle bus stand...

sick man.. thats just shit... these thefts and rape cases are cases where the death penalty can be endorsed!