3rd LEAD (UPDATED)

Tamil Nadu Naam Tamilar party leader Seeman arrested, detained

[TamilNet, Monday, 12 July 2010, 12:21 GMT]
Tamil Nadu police arrested and detained popular film director and the leader of Naam Tamilar political party Seeman Monday noon allegedly for inciting violence, sources in Chennai said. Seeman had condemned the killings of Tamil Nadu fishermen by Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) in a demonstration held in front of Chennai Government Secretariat and is alleged to have said that if SLN continues to attack Tamil Nadu fishermen Sinhalese in Tamil Nadu will not be allowed to live in Tamil Nadu, the sources added. Consequently Tamil Nadu police filed a case against Seeman for inciting violence and searched for Seeman to arrest him before he could meet the press in Chennai Press Club. The police arrested Seeman when he came to Chennai Press Club after the demonstration.

Seeman had said in his speech that there is no point in arresting a person who urges Tamil Nadu and Central governments to solve the problems of Tamil Nadu fishermen without attempting to find a just solution, the sources in Chennai further said.

The court directed Seeman to be detained in remand prison until 23 July.

Seeman, taken to Puzhal prison first, was later transferred to Vealoor jail for reasons unknown.

Fifty fishermen from Tamil Nadu were injured when they were attacked allegedly by Sri Lankan Naval (SLN) personnel while fishing off Kachchatheevu Island, PTI reported Sunday, citing Indian Fisheries department officials.

Hundreds of Indian fishermen, and many more Tamil fishermen in Sri Lanka, have been killed or wounded in SLN attacks over several years.