President Sirisena assured the Northern Provincial Council Chief Minster CV Wigneswaran that the issue of Tamil political prisoners would be solved on Monday. Citing legal difficulties Sirisena said that the prisoners could only be released after the legal procedure. Mr Wigneswaran met with President Sirisena on Thursday to discuss the plight of Tami political prisoners.
Updated 12:00 GMT Shops and businesses in Jaffna are closed in support of hunger striking Tamil political detainees, who demand to be released (Photo: @uthayashalin) Several towns across the Tamil-dominated North-East have nearly completely shut down in a hartal in support of Tamil political prisoners. Shops, restaurants, banks, schools and other institutions, owned by Tamils and Muslims are closed in Batticaloa, Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mannar, Mullaitivu, Trincomalee and Vavuniya, locals told the Tamil Guardian on Friday. President Maithripala Sirisena was forced to cancel a visit to Batticaloa, where he was due to take part in the opening of a court complex. Some business owners in Jaffna town and Nelliyadi opened their shops after they were threatened by unidentified individuals, however later took part in the protest action, despite the threats.
(Photo @mayurappriyan) Posters commemorating the annual Tamil remembrance day on November 27, Maaveerar Naal, have appeared at Jaffna University. Tamils remember their war dead on this day across the world, despite threats and arrests in the North-East in the years following 2009.
Several Tamil political prisoners were taken to hospital as they entered their 6th day on Hunger strike. A total of 6 Tamil political detainees were hospitalised from Anuradhapura and Welikada prisons. The last two days have seen at least 23 Tamil political prisoners hospitalised following hunger strikes to demand their release. Following a presentation fo their sureties, 24 Tamil detainees were released from Welikada prison on Friday. The Tamil detainees were released on two surety bails of 1 million rupees. A total of 271 Tamil political prisoners were officially registered as being...
Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and six others have been issued notice by the Sri Lankan Commercial High Court to appear on March 10, 2016, over charges of non-payment to the Central Transport Board. The Transport Board alleges that Rajapaksa and his election committee defaulted on a payment of Rs 142 million for use of CTB buses to transport supporters to rallies during the last presidential campaign. Among the others charged include former UPFA General Secretary Susil Premajayantha, former SLFP General Secretary Anura Priyadarshana Yapa and former Chief of Staff to the President, Gamini...
Several Tamil political prisoners languishing in prisons across the island have been forcibly taken to hospital after entering their 5th day on hunger strike on Thursday. An estimated 18 Tamil political prisoners were taken to hospital after entering their 5th day on hunger strike to demand their release. A further 13 fasting prisoner remain in a worsening condition within the prison said the former TNA MP Suresh Premachandran. The Northern Provincial Council Chief Minister in a meeting with Sri Lanka’s president Sirisena was told that all Tamil political prisoners could not be released at once. Sirisena said that he did not have the power to release all the prisoners at once and that legal processes would have to be followed.
Photographs: Tamil Guardian Families of the disappeared staged demonstrations to welcome United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (UN WGEID) to Jaffna on Thursday. The demonstrations took place outside the UN Jaffna office, where a member of the visiting UN team was holding consultations. Mr Seong Phil Hong met the demonstrating family members of the disappeared following his meeting at the UN office in Jaffna.
Photograph: Colombo Page The funeral of the chief incumbent Convener of the Kotte Naga Vihara Bhuddist organisation was held in Sri Lanka’s parliamentary grounds with the deceased monk receiving full state honours. Sri Lanka’s President, Prime Minister and several other ministers participated in the cremation ceremony of the deceased monk Maduluwawe Sobitha Thera, after his body was carried through Colombo.
Two Tamil activists were arrested for distributing pamphlets urging participation in a Hartal tomorrow. The activists belong to the Tamil National People’s Front political party. Hartals have been scheduled across the North-East to demand the release of all Tamil political prisoners. Tamil political parties call for public strike action in North-East to demand release of political prisoners (09 Nov 2015)
Tamil political prisoners taken back to jail despite being granted conditional bail - Photograph- @Rukitweets