The British Tamil Conservatives (BTC) called for the UK to work towards developing "unhindered access" to the North-East of Sri Lanka, in a meeting with senior officials at the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office last week.
The imminent need for a political solution to allow the Tamil diaspora to continue to support the North-East in light of further restrictive measures taken by the Sri Lankan state to isolate the North-East from the diaspora and international community was brought up by the BTC in discussions.
The BTC chair told the Tamil Guardian that the FCO was reminded of the Sri Lankan state were placing “insurmountable obstacles” to inhibit the Tamil diaspora from supporting the livelihoods of those in the North-East through locally run charities, diaspora organisations and direct family links.
Speaking to the Tamil Guardian, Arujana Sivanathan said,
“The BTC urged the Foreign and Commonwealth office to work towards a political solution that would create uninhibited access to the North-East so that the diaspora could continue to invest and uplift the living standards of the Tamil people in the North-East."
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