Updated 17:30 GMT Up to seven Tamil Nadu students are reported to have been arrested over protests against the newly released film, 'Kaththi'. The film, which is accused of having been funded by a company with links to the Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa, has seen protests and boycott calls. According to the student group, Tamil Youth and Students Federation, the group's head coordinator, Pirabhakaran was arrested alongside Piratheep from the Matram Student and Youth Forum on October 23rd. Sembiyan, one of the 8 Loyola College students who fasted in March 2013 calling for an international independent investigation into the genocide of Eelam Tamils sparking mass protests across the state, was also amongst those arrested. The TYSF said the arrested students have been accused of burning down Sathyam theatre. The students deny being responsible for this.
The Indian President Pranab Mukherjee has released a stamp commemorating the 150th birth anniversary of Sinhala nationalist leader Anagarika Dharmapala, who was a Buddhist revivalist and independence activist during colonial rule. “The release of the commemorative postage stamp on Anagarika Dharmapala will contribute towards further strengthening the bilateral ties between India and Sri Lanka and bring the two nations closer,” President Mukherjee said, according to The Sunday Times . “This stamp release on one of the apostles of Buddhism, once again reminds us to work relentlessly and collectively to ensure an era of peace, stability and friendly bilateral and multilateral ties in order to create an enabling environment for the rapid socio-economic development of the people,” Mukherjee said. “The relations between the two countries have withstood the test of time and socio-cultural exchanges for centuries have fostered further close cooperation in various fields. Both countries have much to learn and imbibe from each other in order to resolve various issues which are the legacies of a protracted period of colonial rule”, he added. The president highlighted Dharmapala's key role in the history of Sinhala Buddhist nationalism.
The British High Commission in Colombo said the government is studying the recent EU judgement which annulled measures taken against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. According to The Sunday Leader , a high commission spokesperson said that the EU ruling does not affect the ban on the LTTE in the UK, under the Terrorism Act. “This is separate from the EU provisions. But it is also important to note that the EU Court judgment is a legal decision on procedural grounds and not a political decision by the EU member states. The judgment did not involve any substantive assessment of the classification of the LTTE as a terrorist group, "We, like others, are studying the judgment and appropriate next steps; and for the time being, the freeze on LTTE funds imposed by the EU has been maintained for another three months. In the UK, it is illegal to supply funds to the LTTE under our Terrorism Act 2000,” " the spokesperson said.
The leader of the MDMK, Vaiko, criticised the BJP led Indian government's policy on Sri Lanka, stating that it was affecting the Tamils adversely. "Though the previous UPA discreetly helped Sri Lanka against Tamils, it later backtracked but the BJP government is openly aiding Colombo," Vaiko was quoted as saying by PTI . Highlighting comments made by the BJP leader, Subramaniam Swamy, Vaiko condemned Swamy's call for Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa to be awarded India's highest civilian honour - Bharat Ratna. The MDMK is an ally to the BJP, based in Tamil Nadu.
India has told Sri Lanka that is is concerned at china's presence in Sri Lanka, according to The Hindu . The paper reported that during a visit by Sri Lanka's Defence Secretary, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, to Delhi last week, Indian officials made their concerns known. “The meeting was held to raise the issue of a Chinese submarine calling at a Sri Lankan port last month. It is of serious concern to India's national security,” a senior official told the paper anonymously.
The Sri Lankan government has asked Chinda for a "massive" loan from China to fund another project in Hambantota, reports the Sunday Times . According to the paper, government officials were seeking a loan for an extension on the Southern Expressway, and China's EXIM bank has agreed. See more here . Related articles: China’s loans to Sri Lanka reach nearly $4 billion (04 May 2014) 9th round of consultations with China 'highly successful' says Sri Lanka (03 May 2014)
The Sri Lankan navy commander, Vice Admiral Jayantha Perera is to travel to India on Sunday, for a five day meeting with his Indian counterpart, the Colombo Page reported. Sri Lanka is to buy two navy ships from India, as well as two offshore patrol vessels and military equipment, said the navy spokesperson, Commander Kosala Warnakulasuriya.
Sri Lanka hired its eighth American public relations firm this year to reach out to US media, officials and policy makers. Levick, an organisation subcontracted to the Liberty International Group, has been hired to speak on behalf of the Sri Lankan central bank. “Levick’s mission is to utilize communications supported advocacy to tell Sri Lanka’s amazing story of recovery after a decades long civil war against a brutal terrorist organization, as well as to assist the Central Bank in communicating opportunities for trade and investment between our two nations,” president of Levick, Mark Irion...
The Sri Lankan military spokesperson Brigadier Ruwan Wanigasooriya said they would be vigilant of "acts of [LTTE] rump groups" following the decision by the General Court of the European Union to annul the anti-terror measures against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on procedural grounds earlier this month. "The LTTE through its network of 'Sencholai' schools promote their doctrine of separatism and inculcate a negative image of the country, especially in the minds of the children of the Tamil expatriate community," he told journalists at a press conference on Thursday, reports Colombo Page . "Although there are no more armed terrorists in the country authorities are always vigilant on the acts of rump groups," he added.
The body of a 41 year old Tamil man was found floating in a pond in Meraya plantation, in Nuwara Eliya, this week. The man, identified as father of two, Ramasamy Ramachandran, went missing after leaving his home one morning, reports Uthayan . His body was recovered by Lindula police, and handed over to the Nuwara Eliya district hospital for post mortem. The police are reportedly investigating the incident further.