Tamil Prisoners In Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Monday granted amnesty to eight Tamil prisoners after each of them spent over 10 years in jail for their alleged connections to the LTTE.

The legislator son of Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa today indicated that the demand of the Tamil minority community to release all Tamil prisoners may be fulfilled soon, a move aimed at persuading the Tamil legislators to support Mr Rajapaksa. "President Sirisena and Prime Minister Rajapaksa would make a decision very soon," Namal Raj...

Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa's legislator son Namal Sunday indicated that the long held demand of the Tamil minority community to release all Tamil prisoners may be fulfilled soon, a move aimed at persuading the Tamil legislators to support Rajapaksa.

Sri Lankan Tamil prisoners, who launched a hunger strike demanding their release, called off their fast after a minister assured them of speedy trials.

Over 200 Tamil political prisoners, who were on hunger strike in Sri Lanka to protest against being jailed for years without trial, today ended their fast following an assurance from President Maithripala Sirisena that their grievances would be addressed.

The Sri Lankan government has pledged urgent action to address the concerns of Tamil political prisoners languishing in jails for several years on suspicion of links to the now-defeated LTTE as their hunger strike entered fourth day.

A day after inmates began a hunger strike demanding their release in Sri Lanka's Tamil dominated Northern Province, the chief minister has demanded expediting of pending cases against over 200 Tamil political prisoners languishing in several jails.

Tamil political prisoners lodged in several jails in Sri Lanka, many of them without trial since 2009 when the civil war ended, today began a hunger strike, demanding their release.

A Sri Lankan court today sentenced four government soldiers to 25 years in prison each for the gang rape of a 27-year-old Tamil mother of two in the island's former war zone in 2010.

India's High Commissioner in Sri Lanka Yash Sinha on Tuesday met the five Indian fishermen sentenced to death at Colombo's Welikada prison and assured them that the Indian government will make all efforts to secure their early release and repatriation.

In the latest repatriation, eight Indian fishermen were handed over to the Coast Guard by the Sri Lankan navy at the Indo-Lankan International Maritime Boundary Line in the Palk Straits today.

Sri Lankan naval personnel have arrested 30 Tamil Nadu fishermen in separate incidents when they were fishing in the Palk Strait early this morning, officials said.

Twenty local fishermen were today arrested by the Sri Lankan navy when they were fishing near Katchatheevu, an islet in the Palk Strait, fishermen representatives said.

More than 120 Indian fishermen, arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy in the past several months, were released today in line with the reciprocal agreement reached between the two countries to set free detained fishermen.

Sri Lanka has freed at least 20 Indian fishermen, even as the foreign ministers from the two countries spoke over phone to resolve the issue that has become an irritant in bilateral ties.

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Monday granted amnesty to eight Tamil prisoners after each of them spent over 10 years in jail for their alleged connections to the LTTE.

The legislator son of Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa today indicated that the demand of the Tamil minority community to release all Tamil prisoners may be fulfilled soon, a move aimed at persuading the Tamil legislators to support Mr Rajapaksa. "President Sirisena and Prime Minister Rajapaksa would make a decision very soon," Namal Raj...

Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa's legislator son Namal Sunday indicated that the long held demand of the Tamil minority community to release all Tamil prisoners may be fulfilled soon, a move aimed at persuading the Tamil legislators to support Rajapaksa.

Sri Lankan Tamil prisoners, who launched a hunger strike demanding their release, called off their fast after a minister assured them of speedy trials.

Over 200 Tamil political prisoners, who were on hunger strike in Sri Lanka to protest against being jailed for years without trial, today ended their fast following an assurance from President Maithripala Sirisena that their grievances would be addressed.

The Sri Lankan government has pledged urgent action to address the concerns of Tamil political prisoners languishing in jails for several years on suspicion of links to the now-defeated LTTE as their hunger strike entered fourth day.

A day after inmates began a hunger strike demanding their release in Sri Lanka's Tamil dominated Northern Province, the chief minister has demanded expediting of pending cases against over 200 Tamil political prisoners languishing in several jails.

Tamil political prisoners lodged in several jails in Sri Lanka, many of them without trial since 2009 when the civil war ended, today began a hunger strike, demanding their release.

A Sri Lankan court today sentenced four government soldiers to 25 years in prison each for the gang rape of a 27-year-old Tamil mother of two in the island's former war zone in 2010.

India's High Commissioner in Sri Lanka Yash Sinha on Tuesday met the five Indian fishermen sentenced to death at Colombo's Welikada prison and assured them that the Indian government will make all efforts to secure their early release and repatriation.

In the latest repatriation, eight Indian fishermen were handed over to the Coast Guard by the Sri Lankan navy at the Indo-Lankan International Maritime Boundary Line in the Palk Straits today.

Sri Lankan naval personnel have arrested 30 Tamil Nadu fishermen in separate incidents when they were fishing in the Palk Strait early this morning, officials said.

Twenty local fishermen were today arrested by the Sri Lankan navy when they were fishing near Katchatheevu, an islet in the Palk Strait, fishermen representatives said.

More than 120 Indian fishermen, arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy in the past several months, were released today in line with the reciprocal agreement reached between the two countries to set free detained fishermen.

Sri Lanka has freed at least 20 Indian fishermen, even as the foreign ministers from the two countries spoke over phone to resolve the issue that has become an irritant in bilateral ties.