Police protection, to all the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Members of Parliament from Batticaloa district, was removed on Sunday by the Sri Lanka Police. Ms Thangeswari and Mr Ariyanenthiran lost their police protection on Sunday.

At 2.30pm on Sunday, Pillaiyan paramilitary group abducted the son-in-law of another Batticaloa TNA MP, Mr Kanagasabai. Kanagasabai was threatened not to vote against the budget or else he will never see his son-in-law again. The son-in-law is Sajitharan aged 37.

Other TNA MPs have also said that they have received threatening calls warning them not to vote against the budget.

Two leading MPs of Tamil National Alliance, Mr Joseph Pararajasingam in 2005 and Mr Raviraj in 2007, were murdered in areas heavily guarded by the Sri Lankan military. Indeed the relatives of these MPs firmly believe that the Mahinda Rajapakse�s regime assassinated these two MPs.

International community�s failure to take firm action against these two murders of sitting MPs, has today lead to the situation in which Tamil MPs would not be the people�s representatives in the world who are facing the greatest threats to their lives.

Norwegian Ambassador, Mr Tore Hattrem, and the Head of Mission of SLMM, Mr Lars Solveberg, were urgently contacted by S Puleedevan, Secretary General of the LTTE Peace Secretariat, to warn them of the threats to the lives of the Tamil MPs and also to express the shock and concern of the Head of LTTE Political Wing, B Nadeson