Indian High Commissioner opens Visa handling office in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 05 May 2010, 12:16 GMT]
Mr. Asok K. Kantha, the Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanaka, officially opened a branch of Indian Visa handling office Wednesday around 3:00 p.m in a private building on Brown Road in Jaffna. This office will receive applications for visa to India and send them to Colombo Indian High Commission for processing and then deliver the visa to the applicants, it was said in the opening event. Jaffna district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians, Suresh Premachandran and Mavai Senathirajah participated in the event. Minister Douglas Devananda, the head of Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP), who usually participates in events of this nature, was a notable absentee as he was not invited, sources in Jaffna said. Jaffna Mayor Ms. Yogeswary Patkunam of ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) though invited turned up only when the event had ended and the guests were leaving.



Jaffna Government Agent was the only person representing government officers in Jaffna district, in the opening ceremony.

The Jaffna Visa handling office will function like similar offices operating in Kandy and Colombo.

Minister Douglas Devananda’s absence was conspicuous in the context of EPDP operatives’ alleged involvement in issuing death threats to Chaavakachcheari Magistrate K. Pirabakaran.

Besides, Jaffna District Sri Lanka Army Commander, Major Gen. Mahintha Kathurusinghe, has publicly commented on EPDP involvement in social crimes in Jaffna peninsula.