Police today said that Norwegian Tamil poet and actor V.I.S. Jeyapalan who was arrested in Mankulam for violating visa regulations has been handed over to immigration officials for questioning.
Jaffna-born Jeyapalan, 79, will be handed over by the Criminal Investigations Department to the Immigration and Emigration Department, police spokesman SSP Ajith Rohana said.
He was arrested on Friday when he reportedly traveled to Mankulam in Vavuniya to commemorate his mother who has been laid to rest in that area.
Police had said that the Oslo-based Tamil actor, who had arrived in the island on tourist visa, had violated visa regulations by holding seminars in Jaffna.
Jeyapalan has been accused of taking part several gatherings and press conferences during his week-long visit to the island, allegedly aimed at “causing communal unrest”.
However, Justice Minister Rauf Hakeem has expressed shock over the arrest of Jeyapalan, who he termed as an individual working for reconciliation among the Sinhalese, Muslims and Tamils in Sri Lanka and who does not intervene in any acts against country.
Jeyapalan, who is an acclaimed Tamil poet and a writer, also acted in several Indian movies and he was awarded National Award for his acting in Tamil movie ‘Aadukalam’.
