The Bishop of Mannar Rayappu Joseph has been denied access to visit Tamil political prisoners over Easter, as customary in the Catholic Church, the Uthayan reported. Bishop Rayappu Joseph who was accompanied by the Bishop of Anuradhapura to visit the Tamil detainees in Anuradhapura prison, received permission for the visit from the ministry responsible for prisons. However the bishops were informed that a senior official in the Ministry of Defence has revoked the permission and access was particularly denied to the Bishop of Mannar. "On this holy day, which promotes peace and teaches humanity...
The Foreign Correspondents Association (FCA) said it was "unaware of any time limits on visas issued to foreign journalists posted to Sri Lanka", following reports that the BBC journalist Charles Haviland was refused a one-year visa extension, on the grounds that he had completed five years as a foreign correspondent in Sri Lanka. Rejecting reports that Mr. Haviland's visa had been denied, officials at the ministry stressed that it had in fact been extended, by three months, reported the Nation . Media Minister and government spokesperson, Keheliya Rambukwella, was quoted in Ceylon Today as saying, " It would be unfair to permit any foreigner to live in the country for long periods, let alone journalists ," "He has stayed in the country for over five years, and we have granted him a further three-month extension on that visa. Granting him any further extension would be unreasonable. " Pointing out that the five year time limit also extended to international NGO workers , the Secretary to the Ministry of Mass Media and Information, Charitha Herath tweeted, “Sri Lanka visa policy for foreign correspondents is maximum five years. Some of them are here more than 9, 10 years,”
A prisoner in Jaffna was attacked by a prison guard today, reports Uthayan . The prisoner, whose identity remains unknown, has been admitted to Jaffna hospital after suffering injuries. According to the Jaffna based newspaper, attempts to contact the prison for more information were met with evasion, as officials gave incomplete answers and abruptly ended the phone call. The guard involved in the incident has been suspended, sources at the prison told Uthayan.
Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka criticised efforts by South Africa to facilitate dialogue between the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), stating the Tamil struggle should not be equated to that against Apartheid. “ We do not welcome this initiative ," Mr. Ranawaka, Minister of Technology, Research and Atomic Energy, and also the General Secretary of the government coalition partner, Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), told Sri Lanka's Sunday Times, calling for "a fuller investigation of all matters". Organisations like Global Tamil Forum (GTF) and the British Tamil Forum (BTF) 'had created the impression that the so-called armed struggle in Sri Lanka by Tamil groups was similar to the one waged by those in the African National Congress', the Sunday Times cited him as saying. “ We fought against separation. In South Africa, they fought against apartheid, ” he said, reportedly adding, ' it is only recently that the South African Government has obtained “our side of the story" .
In the second part of the 'Unrestricted' series, a discussion forum by the Tamil Students Initiative (TSI) aimed at stimulating dialogue within the Tamil community on subjects often considered taboo, students across London gathered together to discuss caste and religion. Following on from the success of the first session on sexuality and gender identity, the event, hosted by Imperial Tamil Society, began this time with guest speaker Sinthujan Varatharajah who recapped the long and uncomfortable history of the caste system within the Tamil community , including its origins and cultural impacts...
The pass-system, which requires Tamil fisher folk to obtain permission from the military before setting out to sea, has now been re-introduced in Mannar, after being restarted in Jaffna earlier this month, reported Uthayan . The Mannar district fishermen’s union leader M N Aalam complained that fishermen are facing hardship because of the system. The Mannar Fishing Department said the pass system caused difficulties in the past and re-introducing this is going to cause more difficulties. War-period pass system reintroduced for Tamil fishermen (03 April 2014)
A protest was held against the Sri Lankan Navy in Oluvil, Amparai on Thursday, reported Virakesari . Protestors called for the arrest of a member of the navy, who is said to have broken into a household and threatened women, after which he was captured by civilians. Other members of the navy subsequently interfered and sheltered the sailor from the civilians at their camp. Villagers condemned the navy’s actions and called on the police to arrest the person involved in the incident. Akkaraiapattu police later said that a member of the navy had been arrested and investigations were underway.
Police arrested two students on Friday, accusing them over being involved over posters that went up near Jaffna Hindu College, reading 'Tamil Eelam will blossom', reports Uthayan . Manmatharasa Venuganthan, 24 year old man from Inuvil was arrested a day after, 24 year old Jeyathasan Kajanan was detained. The posters were removed, said police during a weekly press briefing. The arrests come amidst a series of widespread arrests made by the police and anti-terror officers over recent weeks citing 'LTTE' links and activity. At the briefing, the police spokesperson said over 200 had been arrested...
CID officers detained a 64 year old woman in Kilinochchi today, reported Uthayan . The detained woman, Pathmaavathy, has been taken to Vavuniya, however no further details are available. Recent weeks have seen widespread arrests of Tamils in the North-East by the Sri Lankan military, and anti-terror officers, over alleged 'LTTE links'.
The recent attack on Tamil journalist Sivagnanam Selvatheepan has been condemned by Reporters Without Borders in a statement on its website. “Reporters Without Borders joins its partner organization, Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka (JDS), in condemning an attack on Sivagnanam Selvatheepan, a journalist who freelances for Tamil media, near the northern city of Jaffna on the night of 14 April.” RSF said.