The day after Tamil Nadu banned all Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket matches with Sri Lankan players, Sri Lankan cricketers responded...

Arjuna Ranatunga

Slamming the IPL governing council's decision to withdraw Sri Lankan cricketers from Chennai matches, the former Sri Lankan cricket captian, Arjuna Ranatunga, told Sri Lankan cricketers to "think of their country" and boycott the entire event, due to begin on 3rd April. Ranatunga asserted that playing else where in India under current circumstances would mean having "endorsed the human rights violation charges."

Ranatunga said:

"... as far as cricketers are concerned I think if they can't play in south India (Chennai) they should play in other part either. I personally feel if players are not welcomed in one part of India they should not be part of any IPL,"

"The excuse that the south Indian politician gave was war crimes. And, I am sure the players should take that into consideration and think of the country and pull out from the entire Indian Premier League,"

"What most people seem to ignore is that both Jayalalithaa and Karunanidhi are wanting to stop Sri Lankans playing in Tamil Nadu because they accuse Sri Lanka of human rights violations. So playing in other (Indian) states while skipping Tamil Nadu is an endorsement of human rights allegations against our country,"

"Players must be made aware of this as the world will say that Sri Lankan IPL players have unwittingly endorsed the human rights violation charges,"

"I think what IPL should have done was pulled out all the matches from south India if they are so keen on Sri Lankan players participation. But, it's all political gimmick,"

Muttiah Muralitharan

Expressing disappointment at the IPL's decision, Sri Lankan cricketer Muttiah Muralitharan claimed that he "did not have any problems as a Tamil", and invited the Indian authorities to "come and see how we are living in Sri Lanka and forget what happened in the past."

See here for what the Tamil civil society of the North-East said earlier this month on life for Tamils at present.

Speaking to NDTV, Muralitharan who currently plays for Royal Challengers Bangalore said:

“It’s a sad [day] for cricket as we are not allowed to play in a certain part of India. It is a government decision, if they cannot provide security for us, we have to be cautious,”

Sri Lanka's cricket squad for the T20 international against Bangladesh in Kandy announced a new addition today... the son of Minister Keheliya Rambukwella.

Yesterday Sri Lanka's High Commissioner to India, Prasad Kariyawasam said he was 'concerned about mixing of politics and sports'. 

Tamil students from several universities in the UK have expressed their disappointment at the exclusion of a Commission of Inquiry in the resolution on Sri Lanka, passed at the Human Rights Council in Geneva last week.

Tamil Societies from 21 universities signed a statement, alongside Tamil Youth Organisation - UK, to call for an international, independent investigation into allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity and to recognise that what the Tamils face in their homeland is genocide.

“We express serious disappointment at the exclusion of an independent, international commission of inquiry into all allegations of crimes against humanity and genocide, and stress the crucial need for such a mechanism in order to secure true accountability and justice,” the statement said.

“Whilst we recognise the initiative to bring Sri Lanka into the spotlight of international fora after the dismal failure of the international community to act and protect civilian lives during the armed conflict, we strongly condemn a number of states in the international community who have actively been diluting what was already a substantially weak resolution […].

The US-based advocacy group PEARL has criticised the UN Human Rights Council resolution on Sri Lanka.

In a statement, released on Monday, the organisation said the resolution was another “grave failure” of the UN on Sri Lanka.

The Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam has said the resolution passed at the UN Human Rights Council last week was a defeat for the Sri Lankan government, but pointed out that it failed to come close to Tamil people’s aspirations.

At the party convention on Sunday, the Bodu Bala Sena, urged Sinhala people to 'protect the nation and not let other races or religions to take over'.

Asserting that the island was not multi-religious or multi-ethnic, the Buddhist monk, Medagoda Abayathissa thero urged Sinhala families to have at least 5 or 6 children so that the Sinhala Buddhist population grows.

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.

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