The Indian state of Tamil Nadu has banned all Indian Premier League (IPL) matches involving Sri Lankan cricket players.

The decision, made by the state government, came as the chief Minister J. Jayalalitha wrote a letter to the Indian prime minister on Tuesday explaining her actions and the overwhelming "anger" in the state at Sri Lanka's "barbaric acts" towards the Tamils.

She wrote:

"In view of the popular antipathy and anger in Tamil Nadu against the actions of the Government of Sri Lanka, the Government of Tamil Nadu is of the view that IPL matches involving Sri Lankan players, umpires and other officials should not be played in Tamil Nadu.  The BCCI may be advised by the Government of India to prevail upon the IPL organizers not to allow Sri Lankan players, officials, umpires and support staff to take part in the tournament in Tamil Nadu.  The Government of Tamil Nadu will permit IPL matches to be held in Tamil Nadu, only if the organizers provide an undertaking that no Sri Lankan players, umpires, officials or support staff would participate in these matches."

Ten IPL matches are scheduled to take place in Chennai, with the very popular Chennai Super Kings, including two Sri Lankan players.

The IPL's Twenty20 tournament, which is due to take place on 3rd April, has thirteen Sri Lankan players signed up to play including: Mahela Jayawardene, Muttiah Muralitharan, Lasith Malinga, Tilakratne Dilshan and Ajantha Mendis.

“Today, the Honourable Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu has written to the Prime Minister of India stating that she will not permit the participation of Sri Lankan players or umpires in matches in Chennai during Pepsi IPL 2013.″

“The IPL Governing Council met this afternoon to discuss the issue. The security of all involved in the IPL, whether players, spectators or those working in the stadiums, is of paramount importance to the BCCI. The Governing Council decided that Sri Lankan players will not participate in the Pepsi IPL 2013 League matches in Chennai and will advise the nine franchises accordingly.”

Voicing concern over increased attacks on Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan navy, the Tamil Nadu government today asked the Centre to initiate diplomatic steps to check it and urged for withdrawal of the 1974 agreement ceding Katchatheevu islet to Colombo, PTI reports.

Chief minister J Jayalalithaa said her government will seek legal course if the central government failed to accede to the demand.

The BBC said on Tuesday it was suspending its World Service FM radio broadcasts in Sri Lanka due to "continued interruption and interference" in its Tamil programming.

See AFP’s report here.

Both English language and Tamil services broadcast via the state-owned Sri Lankan Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) will be stopped with immediate effect, the BBC said.

The Global Tamil Forum has expressed its disappointment at the resolution passed at the UN Human Rights Council.

Asked by the Tamil Guardian for the organisation's reaction to the resolution, spokesperson Suren Surendiran said that the organisation expressed appreciation for the countries that supported the passing of the resolution, but it would have liked to have seen a stronger text that included a “political solution for the legitimate aspirations of the Tamil people” and underlined the need for an independent international investigation.

The British House of Commons held an adjournment debate on the subject of “Justice for Tamils” last week, where the Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Tamils urged the British government to push for an international investigation into allegations of war crimes.

Speaking at the House of Commons last week, MP Lee Scott also called for a strengthening of the proposed UNHRC resolution, “to send a clear message to the Sri Lankan Government”.

The resolution was passed the next day with 25 member states voting in favour of the resolution, 13 against and 8 abstaining.

In response, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Alistair Burt, said,

“All international resolutions of this kind are composites, and are put together in a manner designed to create the greatest possible support for them. That sometimes means a degree of compromise on language. The United Kingdom felt that the most important thing was that the demonstration of a significant number of countries with concern about Sri Lanka was better than having a motion that some might have felt unable to support. We wanted to give a clear indication, as we gave last year, of the importance of these issues to many nations, which is why the resolution is drafted in the terms it is. We think it is still firm and meaningful.”

“The text reflects widespread concern that, in simple terms, the Sri Lankan Government, having won a brutal war, are not winning the peace.”

Burt faced serious criticism from Diaspora groups after recording a video interview on the beaches of Mullivaikkal, where tens of thousands of Tamils were massacred in the final few days of the armed conflict in 2009.

The Minister was also slammed after visiting Vanni earlier this year, accompanied by a heavy Sri Lankan security presence, who recorded Tamil civilians talking to the Minister.

Burt responded,

"When I was in Sri Lanka, in the northern area, it was noted that I was not alone. I was accompanied not only by UK officials and officials from the high commission, but by a significant military presence, some uniformed and some non-uniformed. It is not uncommon for a Minister visiting someone else’s country to be protected and supported by the military in those areas, and I raise no issue about that. I felt safe, and it was only appropriate for the Government to do that. However, the extent of military involvement was noticed by others, who were keen to pick out the non-uniformed individuals who were there, which raises a significant matter."

The two biggest political parties in Tamil Nadu have called for India to pull out of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Sri Lanka later this year.

In a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalitha said participation in the event would “embolden” Sri Lanka.