Two volley ball players from Tamil Nadu returned from the Asian youth volleyball championship in in Sri Lanka, after being withdrawn by the south Indian state’s Sports Development Authority.

The Tamil Nadu State Volleyball Association (TNSVA) headquarters has been closed since Wednesday night and the manager and coach of the players have been suspended, The Hindu reported, adding that it was “surprising that the two players were sent to the island nation”, in the first place.

Villagers from Valikamam North Mayiliddi have handed a petition to the Jaffna District Secretariat demanding they be resettled in their own land, which is currently being occupied by the Sri Lankan military after being designated as a High Security Zone (HSZ).

The petition, which was delivered by leaders from the by Poonthalir Women's Organisation and the National Fisheries Co-operation Movement, said,

“We have been living in the temporary camp for 24 years since being displaced from the Valikamam North Mayiliddi village during the war in 1990.”

“More than 5 years have passed since the war ended and it is worrying that we have not been resettled back in our own lands.”

Sri Lankan military intimidation has for the second time led to prayers that were going to be held for the displaced people of Valikamam North being cancelled, reports Uthayan.

Military intelligence once again threatened the organisers with “consequences” if the prayers, organised for those displaced in Valikaamam North, went ahead.

The Tamil Eelam Supporters Organisation (TESO) held a protest on Wednesday, calling on the United Nations not to allow Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa to address the General Assembly in New York later this month.

The protest, led by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), a political party in Tamil Nadu, was addressed by the DMK President Karunanidhi, who said,

"If all the Tamils cooperate and struggle, we can ensure true freedom for Eelam Tamils and give them a life of self- respect."

Last updated: 0800 GMT

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa has criticised remarks made by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy over the arrest of Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy this week, as the BJP’s State Chief distanced the party from his comments.

Swamy, who recently attended a defence seminar in Sri Lanka, said the Sri Lankan government should not release the boats of Tamil Nadu fishermen that they were holding in their custody.

His comments were slammed by the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, who also heads the third largest party in India, who said,

“It is particularly distressing that a senior member of the BJP has, in a televised media interview, stated it was he who advised the Sri Lankan government not to release the boats of Tamil Nadu fishermen. This statement of Swamy has given rise to resentment and angst not only among the fishing community but also among people of Tamil Nadu."

“The Sri Lankan government's inhumane and cruel strategy of not releasing the boats is causing loss of livelihood to fishermen and their families. The desperate fishermen are resorting to protests and strikes."

Swamy’s remarks led to a rebuke by the BJP’s State Chief Tamilisai Soundararajan, who said his comments were not the official line of the BJP party and that she has “reported the matter to the party high command."

Soundararajan went on to say Swamy was “spoiling the efforts” of the Indian government to resolve the issue of repeated arrests by the Sri Lankan Navy, adding,

“We have made progress in the fishermen's issue as meetings have been held and the PMO has also stepped in to facilitate talks between officials from both countries." 

Swamy though dismissed the Chief Minister’s criticism saying “she is being a cinema star, she basically speaks according to a script… she is not a BJP member”.

At least 60 Pakistani asylum seekers have been released from detention in Boosa camp, and may now face deportation, reports the Press Trust of India.

The asylum seekers have been released to temporary accommodation, with a Sri Lankan court ruling on Monday lifting the ban on the deportation of asylum seekers from Pakistan.

The ban was lifted after Sri Lanka’s Deputy Solicitor General warned the refugees were a threat to national security and were at risk of bringing malaria into the island.