Facebook icon
Twitter icon
e-mail icon

Tamil UNP MP arrested by Sri Lankan police over speech mentioning LTTE

Vijayakala Maheswaran, a Tamil parliamentarian with the UNP, has been arrested by Sri Lankan police this morning over a speech she gave earlier this year which faced criticism from cross-party Sinhala politicians for calling for a resurgence of the LTTE in order to curb crime rates in North-East.

Maheswaran has since been released on a Rs 500,000 bail, after being produced before the Colombo Chief Magistrate.

Last month, Sri Lanka's Attorney General advised the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to file a case at the Court of Appeal against the UNP MP, after she was forced to resign her ministerial post following pressure from Sinhalese politicians.

 

We need your support

Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.

Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view

We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.

For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.