Rajapakse regime arrests and sent back Australian senator and New Zealand M.P while CHOGM stares in its face
(Lanka-e-News-10.Nov.2013, 7.30PM) The SL Immigration and emigration intelligence department has this early morning arrested and seized the passports a New Zealand Parliamentarian and an Australian senator, and sent back them . The foreign VIPs had arrived in Sri Lanka earlier and they belong to two countries which are participating in the commonwealth summit in SL.
Lee Rinagan is the Australian senator , and Jaan Logi is the New Zealand Parliamentarian of green party. They had arrived in SL on the visas issued by SL under the special project after their foreign Ministries have informed the SL counterpart . They had been touring the north during the last three days and met with the northern provincial council members and held discussions with the newly appointed northern province chief Minister Vigneswaran.
The foreign Parliamentarian and senator were scheduled to leave SL today and they were to hold a press conference regarding their tour prior to their departure . This press conference was not something extraordinary and was to be just as usual. In this connection , the Tamil National Alliance had made arrangements to provide facilities to hold the press conference in Colombo.
Just a while before the press conference began the Immigration and emigration intelligence division had swooped on the venue, arrested them and impounded their travel documents. Officers have questioned them seperatly. Subsequently they had been sent back after interrogation.
Chulananda Perera the Immigration and Emigration department administrative chief said , to hold a media briefing in Colombo , the permission of the Ministry of mass media must be obtained, and that they had violated visa regulations.
It is noteworthy that Chulananda’s explanation is absolutely unjustifiable and is aimed at misleading the public because no permission of the media Ministry is necessary to hold a media briefing and there is no such legal requirement in SL.
TNA MP Sumenthiran attorney at law speaking to Lanka e news said, these foreign parliamentarian and senator did not come on invitations extended by his party . When they were touring the north they had met the TNA M.P.s and questioned about the situation in the north , and had even directly met the residents of the province . Later they had requested to hold a media briefing in their TNA party office Colombo , to which they complied with . However, subsequently the Immigration and emigration department took the MP and Senator into custody , Sumenthiran added.
Sumenthiran commenting further said , the government is making loud announcements that anyone can go to the north freely and make inquiries and get answers , but when they try to express their views , they are prohibited.
The foreign Parliamentarian and senator made a statement recently to the BBC reporter Dinasena Rathugamage , where they disclosed that they would be informing the SL government of their views through their governments at the end of their tour.
The SL Rajapakse regime about a week ago arrested the Directress of Asia pacific international media forum and her assistant when they attended a media workshop . They were harassed , intimidated and interrogated for two days after taking into custody , and then deported. That media Directress is also an Australian national.
Some years ago , a parliamentarian ,Canadian national was also similarly deported over which the Canadian government was most offended and annoyed so much so that Canada even decided to boycott the upcoming commonwealth heads of countries summi
(Lanka-e-News-10.Nov.2013, 7.30PM) The SL Immigration and emigration intelligence department has this early morning arrested and seized the passports a New Zealand Parliamentarian and an Australian senator, and sent back them . The foreign VIPs had arrived in Sri Lanka earlier and they belong to two countries which are participating in the commonwealth summit in SL.Lee Rinagan is the Australian senator , and Jaan Logi is the New Zealand Parliamentarian of green party. They had arrived in SL on the visas issued by SL under the special project after their foreign Ministries have informed the SL counterpart . They had been touring the north during the last three days and met with the northern provincial council members and held discussions with the newly appointed northern province chief Minister Vigneswaran.
The foreign Parliamentarian and senator were scheduled to leave SL today and they were to hold a press conference regarding their tour prior to their departure . This press conference was not something extraordinary and was to be just as usual. In this connection , the Tamil National Alliance had made arrangements to provide facilities to hold the press conference in Colombo.
Just a while before the press conference began the Immigration and emigration intelligence division had swooped on the venue, arrested them and impounded their travel documents. Officers have questioned them seperatly. Subsequently they had been sent back after interrogation.
Chulananda Perera the Immigration and Emigration department administrative chief said , to hold a media briefing in Colombo , the permission of the Ministry of mass media must be obtained, and that they had violated visa regulations.
It is noteworthy that Chulananda’s explanation is absolutely unjustifiable and is aimed at misleading the public because no permission of the media Ministry is necessary to hold a media briefing and there is no such legal requirement in SL.
TNA MP Sumenthiran attorney at law speaking to Lanka e news said, these foreign parliamentarian and senator did not come on invitations extended by his party . When they were touring the north they had met the TNA M.P.s and questioned about the situation in the north , and had even directly met the residents of the province . Later they had requested to hold a media briefing in their TNA party office Colombo , to which they complied with . However, subsequently the Immigration and emigration department took the MP and Senator into custody , Sumenthiran added.
Sumenthiran commenting further said , the government is making loud announcements that anyone can go to the north freely and make inquiries and get answers , but when they try to express their views , they are prohibited.
The foreign Parliamentarian and senator made a statement recently to the BBC reporter Dinasena Rathugamage , where they disclosed that they would be informing the SL government of their views through their governments at the end of their tour.
The SL Rajapakse regime about a week ago arrested the Directress of Asia pacific international media forum and her assistant when they attended a media workshop . They were harassed , intimidated and interrogated for two days after taking into custody , and then deported. That media Directress is also an Australian national.
Some years ago , a parliamentarian ,Canadian national was also similarly deported over which the Canadian government was most offended and annoyed so much so that Canada even decided to boycott the upcoming commonwealth heads of countries summi
