Tamil families of the disappeared held a rally in Vavuniya yesterday as they continue to call on the international community to investigate the fate of their loved ones, who were forcibly disappeared by the Sri Lankan state. The families have been calling for international justice and accountability for years as successive Sri Lankan governments have failed to address their demands. 15 years have passed since the end of the armed conflict in which many Tamil families surrendered their relatives to the Sri Lankan military. To this day, Sri Lanka has failed to provide answers on their...
Several human skeletal remains were uncovered in Muhamalai, alongside uniform believed to belong to an LTTE cadre, as yet another mass grave was discovered in the Tamil homeland.
The Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) has passed a resolution calling on Sri Lanka’s Public Security Minister, Tiran Alles, to stand down after encouraging police to shoot at suspects , adding that his statement is “in direct contradiction to the fundamental principles enshrined in the Constitution”. Speaking before Sri Lanka’s notorious Special Task Force in Katukurundu, Alles told officers: “eliminating criminals from the country is not a sin. Don’t be afraid to use the weapon in your hand for the right thing, and we stand by you”. BASL responded stating: “The Minister’s statement...
The United States military concluded their four day Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) maritime exercise with the Sri Lankan Navy, which included training in “anti-terrorism security”, in Trincomalee. Senior Defense Official at the U.S. Embassy Anthony Nelson said “CARAT aims to enhance the ability of our navies to defend our own nations and uphold the international standards that serve our mutual interests.” The Sri Lanka Navy stated on its website that it “stands to benefit significantly from the exchange of new knowledge, skills, and experiences during these exercises.” They...
The Canadian government said it “supports meaningful action leading to justice, accountability, peace and reconciliation,” when asked by the Tamil Guardian about the Sri Lankan government’s objection to the genocide monument in Brampton. The Sri Lankan government reportedly summoned the Canadian High Commissioner i n Colombo over plans to construct a monument to victims of the Tamil genocide in the Canadian city of Brampton. The final design for the Tamil Genocide Memorial was approved by the Brampton City Council earlier this year and pays tribute to over one hundred thousand Tamils killed...
File photograph: Jaffna Press Club journalists remember Rajivarman and Sivaram in 2014. Today marks 17 years since the killing of the young Tamil journalist Selvarajah Rajivarman. The 25 year old, who was working for Jaffna-based newspaper Uthayan, was shot and killed by a lone gunman riding a motorbike in Jaffna on April 29 2007. Before joining Uthayan, Rajivarman worked for Namathu Eezhanadu and Thinakkural. TamilNet reported that he was on duty collecting news when he was shot. Rajivarman used to go to the police stations and hospitals to seek information about the many crimes that were...
A Sri Lankan court has sentenced five Sri Lankan police officers over their role in the killing of eight Tamils in 1998, an incident dubbed the Thampalakamam massacre, more than 26 years after the murders.
The US Ambassador to Sri Lanka celebrated the Tamil and Sinhala New Year alongside a Sri Lankan commander who is currently barred from entering the US over his role in executing Tamils.
Slain Tamil journalist Dharmeratnam Sivaram was remembered in Batticaloa, Jaffna, Mullaitivu and Vavuniya today to mark 19 years since his abduction and murder. Sivaram, popularly known under his nom-de-plume Taraki, was abducted in front of Bambalipitiya police station in Colombo on April 28 2005 and was found dead several hours later in a high security zone in Sri Lanka's capital, which at the time had a heavy police and military presence due to the ongoing conflict. His killers, highly suspected to be linked to the government of then-president Chandrika Kumaratunga, were never caught. Read...
This month marked the anniversary of the deadly 2019 Easter Sunday attacks, which killed hundreds in hotels and churches across the island. Five years have passed, and there are now more questions than answers - particularly around the role of the Sri Lankan state. What has become increasingly clear, however, is that Sri Lanka remains incapable of transparency, and of delivering justice to the victims and their families. As even the most hardcore proponents of domestic mechanisms have come to realise, just like for the atrocities before them, the Easter Sunday attacks deserve international accountability.