RETURNING LANKANS ATTACKED IN TRICHY
Pilgrims returning from Velankanni church mobbed near Trichy airport
Five buses carrying Sri Lankan pilgrims on their way to the Trichy airport were attacked yesterday, according to Indian media reports. Reports said pilgrims in one of the buses were injured by broken glass
pieces.
Catholic shrine near Nagapattinam.
The Sri Lankan government issued a travel warning to Sri Lankans visiting southern India following a spate of incidents targeting Sri Lankans, the External Affairs Ministry said.
The Lankans were meted out similar treatment during their pilgrimage to the Poondi Matha Christian shrine near Thanjavur on Monday.
The pilgrims, including 75 women and 36 children, had arrived at Velankanni on Tuesday morning to worship at the Shrine Basilica, police said. As the activists protested, police personnel on security duty for the ongoing annual festival rushed to the spot, arrested them and brought the situation under control within a few mi- nutes, sources said.
The pilgrims later proceeded to Tiruchirappalli safely from where they were expected to leave for Sri Lanka.
The Sri Lankans had worshipped at the Poondi Matha shrine on Monday evening as part of their annual pilgrimage when activists of Naam Tamizhar Iyakkam headed by film director Seeman, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi and P Nedumaranled Tamizhar Desiya Poduvudamai Katchi, staged a demonstration asking them to go back.
Tamil Nadu politicians have been agitating over the past several weeks against Sri Lanka over allegations of human rights abuses committed during and after the war targeting Tamils.
The Tamil Nadu government also recently objected to India providing military training to Sri Lankan after the Indian government had insisted it would continue with the training.
Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa this week ordered a football team from a leading Sri Lankan school who were in Tamil Nadu to be sent back.
Tamil political parties in Tamil Nadu are also opposing an upcoming visit to India by Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa. The Sri Lankan external affairs ministry on Monday night said that 184 Sri Lankan pilgrims visiting a church in Tamil Nadu were mobbed forcing them to take refuge inside the church.
Sri Lanka says it regrets the increasing number of instances of intimidation of Sri Lankans visiting Tamil Nadu for the purposes of tourism, religious pilgrimages, sporting and cultural activities and professional training.
These visits are a reflection of people to people contact between the two countries and are bound by age-old friendly ties and traditions, the external affairs ministry said.