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Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa has criticised remarks made by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy over the arrest of Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy this week, as the BJP’s State Chief distanced the party from his comments.

Swamy, who recently attended a defence seminar in Sri Lanka, said the Sri Lankan government should not release the boats of Tamil Nadu fishermen that they were holding in their custody.

His comments were slammed by the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, who also heads the third largest party in India, who said,

“It is particularly distressing that a senior member of the BJP has, in a televised media interview, stated it was he who advised the Sri Lankan government not to release the boats of Tamil Nadu fishermen. This statement of Swamy has given rise to resentment and angst not only among the fishing community but also among people of Tamil Nadu."

“The Sri Lankan government's inhumane and cruel strategy of not releasing the boats is causing loss of livelihood to fishermen and their families. The desperate fishermen are resorting to protests and strikes."

Swamy’s remarks led to a rebuke by the BJP’s State Chief Tamilisai Soundararajan, who said his comments were not the official line of the BJP party and that she has “reported the matter to the party high command."

Soundararajan went on to say Swamy was “spoiling the efforts” of the Indian government to resolve the issue of repeated arrests by the Sri Lankan Navy, adding,

“We have made progress in the fishermen's issue as meetings have been held and the PMO has also stepped in to facilitate talks between officials from both countries." 

Swamy though dismissed the Chief Minister’s criticism saying “she is being a cinema star, she basically speaks according to a script… she is not a BJP member”.

At least 60 Pakistani asylum seekers have been released from detention in Boosa camp, and may now face deportation, reports the Press Trust of India.

The asylum seekers have been released to temporary accommodation, with a Sri Lankan court ruling on Monday lifting the ban on the deportation of asylum seekers from Pakistan.

The ban was lifted after Sri Lanka’s Deputy Solicitor General warned the refugees were a threat to national security and were at risk of bringing malaria into the island.

Over 3,000 fishermen gathered in Ramneswaram, shouting slogans condemning Swamy and burning an effigy of the senior BJP leader. Effigies were also burnt in Salem, Nagapattinam, and Panruti as activists from parties such as the Tamizhaga Vazhvurimai Katchi and Mukkulathu Pulikal held protests.

Swamy, who recently attended a defence seminar in Sri Lanka, said the Sri Lankan government should not release the boats of Tamil Nadu fishermen that they were holding in their custody.

The BJP’s State Chief distanced the party from Swamy’s remarks and noted the matter had been reported to the “party high command”.

Speaking to the Tamil Guardian, Tamil Nadu based activist Saravana Kumar from the Ilanthamizhagam Movement said,

 “Swamy has been intervening on the Sri Lankan issue since the 1980’s, saying there is no support for the Eelam Tamils in Tamil Nadu. But the current situation clearly shows that if he tries to play any role against the Tamils and Tamil sentiments, the people will never let him.”

Businesses in Jaffna are suffering as traders from the South are setting up stalls and shops across the North without having to obtain any government permission, said the Valikamam South Traders Union leader Layan C Hariharan.

MDMK Chief Vaiko has appeared before a special tribunal reviewing India’s ban on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on Wednesday.

The LTTE ban was recently extended by five years under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act in India.

The special tribunal, headed by Justice G P Mittal, was set up in July to review the ban and had issued a call for responses.

The chairman of Sri Lanka’s presidential commission into disappeared people said the probe will only be able to provide details of individuals involved in such cases, and will not be able to make decisions on punishments.

Chairman Maxwell Paranagama said any decisions on punitive measures can only be taken by President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the Attorney General, while speaking to the BBC Sinhala Service.

Panaragama pointed out that although the new international advisory panel was appointed by the commission, the panel will not become “a stakeholder” in the probe.

A shop selling shoes with the images of Buddha has been raided by police in the southern Sri lankan town of Balangoda, after a tip off.

Six first-year undergraduates of the Sabaragamuwa University were detained and interrogated by the Terrorism Investigation Department (TID) on Tuesday, becoming the third set of students arrested at the southern university.