The Chief Minister of the Northern Provincial Council C. V. Wigneswaran condemned the heavy Sri Lankan military presence in the Tamil North-East of the island, stating that is was causing fear across the region.

Addressing the Northern Province Tourism development conference on Saturday, Wigneswaran highlighted the danger that women in particular faced from the Sri Lankan military, stating that there were 150,000 soldiers in the Northern Province.

Wigneswaran said the situation was getting worse, adding,

“The government is restricting our independence by considering North-East provinces as foreign regions that need to be under supervision, even after the war has ended.”

Four fishermen from Rameswaram were apprehended on Sunday near Kachchatheevu by the Sri Lankan Navy who also allegedly damaged 50 boats, reports the Press Trust of India.

According to T Sesuraja, the president of the local fishermen's association, the Sri Lankan Navy approached the fishermen in eight boats and detained four fishermen, taking them to Kankesanthurai along with their boats.

Pictures: Presidential Media Unit

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has invited UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to visit the island, to “assess the situation” since his last visit.

The secretary general congratulated Rajapaksa on his leadership and “acknowledged the progress” Sri Lanka has made in the past years, adding that he was optimistic that remaining challenges will be overcome with “this type of political leadership” according to the government’s official media portal.

More than 20,000 demonstrators protested in solidarity with Eelam Tamils in Chennai this week, calling for economic sanctions on Sri Lanka.

Protestors from over 150 organisations gathered by Egmore Rajaratnam stadium with placards and banners, chanting slogans calling for an independent Tamil Eelam.


V Prabhakaran from the Tamil Youth and Students Federation told the Tamil Guardian,

“The protest delivers a strong message to the international community that  Tamil Nadu is in full support with Tamil Eelam.”