MP says he was not informed of any such decision by the authorities

Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP P Ariyanethran told BBC Sandeshaya that he went to the airport on Sunday morning to travel to India for medical treatment.

At the airport, he said, he was informed by the immigration officials that he will not be allowed to leave the country.

The officials took the MP to the police Criminal Investigation Unit at the airport where he was informed that “higher authorities” have issued an order preventing him leaving Sri Lanka.

'CID order'

“An official told me that he was officially informed by the CID that I should not be allowed to leave the country,” Mr. Ariyanethran said.

The TNA MP added that he has registered with a hospital in Chennai, in Tamil Nadu, for medical treatment on Tuesday.

An official told me that he was officially informed by the CID that I should not be allowed to leave the country P Ariyanethran, MP

Although the police had their orders, the MP said, he was not informed of any such decision by the authorities.

“The official told me that he was very sorry but he had to obey the orders from the CID,” he told BBC Sinhala service.

BBC Sandeshaya could not contact police spokesman, Senior Superintendant of Police Ranjith Gunasekara, despite repeated attempts.

'Violated constitution'

The parliamentarian said he will lodge a complaint with the speaker of the parliament through TNA leader on Monday.

Mr. Ariyanethran together with two other TNA MPs; S Jeyanandamurthy and S Kajendran, have violated the constitution by making pro-LTTE speeches in Germany, the CID informed the judiciary on Friday.

The CID said the three legislators admitted urging for a separate Tamil homeland in Sri Lanka and urging the Tamils to support LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran to fulfil that purpose at a Poingu Thamil rally.

The Colombo magistrate ordered the police to seek legal advice before ordering the MPs to appear in court to answer the charges.

With 22 MPs, TNA which accepts the Tamil Tigers as the sole representative of Sri Lankan Tamils is the biggest Tamil political party in Sri Lanka parliament.