Hundreds of women from all eight districts across the Tamil homeland 8 districts took to the streets in Kilinochchi today, demanding an end all forms of oppression, harassment, and militarisation across the North-East, including eliminating violence against women. The rally was organized by the North-East Women’s Collective under the theme of “Let Us Eliminate Intersectional Oppressions against Women”. The women marched up to the Kilinochchi Green Park campus and issued a statement, highlighting various issues, including the intersectional oppression faced by Tamil-speaking women in the...
The leader of the Crusaders for Democratic Party, C. Vendan, called on India to expedite the release of the remaining freed convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case who are presently detained in special camps. The call to release the remaining freed convicts comes following the death of Santhan who was freed from the case over a year ago but died a few days before his return to Jaffna. The remaining freed convicts are Murugan, Robert, and Jayakumar “We hope the Tamil people in India understand the plight of Tamils in Eelam,” said Vendan. “The relationship between these two countries...
Tamil families of the disappeared in Vavuniya are marking 2578 days of continuous roadside protest today. in pursuit of answers to the whereabouts of their forcibly disappeared loved ones. Many of the families witnessed their relatives being taken into Sri Lankan military custody at the end of the armed conflict in 2009 or they were abducted in white vans. The secretary of the Vavuniya Families of the Disappeared association, Gopalakrishnan Rajkumar, said that the only solution is a political solution that takes into consideration the aspirations of the Tamils and ensures there are sufficient...
Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi parliamentarian M A Sumanthiran was the sole opposition lawmaker to attend a meeting convened by Sri Lanka’s president regarding engagment with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Monday, as he broke a boycott against the global body’s “hard reforms”. The Opposition SJB and JVP parties had both declared they would boycott the meeting, which was organised by Ranil Wickremesinghe to discuss his government’s engagement with the IMF. Sri Lanka is in the midst of receiving a bailout loan from the global financial body, which is desperately needed given the ongoing...
The residents of Pallimunai in Mannar and Pungudutivu in Jaffna took to the streets last week to protests over the Sri Lankan government’s failure to address their grievances on a range of issues, from Sinhala settlers disrupting their livelihood through sea cucumber farms to illegal sand mining. The protest was led by the Pallimunai St.Lucia Fisherfolk Cooperative Society and galvanized the support of several residents in the area who marched up to the Mannar District Secretariat. Reporters say hundreds of people had participated in the protest adding that they had brought up these concerns...
Out of the thousands of acres of land forcibly retained by the Sri Lankan military in the North-East, 70 acres in Valikamam North and 40 acres in Kilinochchi were ceremoniously released this weekend, even as the state continues to engage in further land grabbing attempts. At the event held over the weekend, the National Security Advisor who is also the Chief of Staff to President, Sagala Rathnayake, issued the deeds (land titles)of the 70 acres of land in Valikamam North and 40 acres in Kilinochchi. They were released to the relevant Divisional Secretariats. The grand ceremony was attended by...
(File photo) Just weeks after the US government pledged to gift another cutter to the Sri Lanka Navy , Ambassador Julie Chung said Washington was continuing to monitor legislative developments in Sri Lanka that could challenge its progress on human rights, reconciliation, and civic space. We continue to monitor legislative developments in Sri Lanka that could challenge its progress on human rights, reconciliation, and civic space. Our recent Core Group joint statement from the 55th session of the UNHRC, and statements made by local and international organizations,… — Ambassador Julie Chung (@...
Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) MP Sivagnanam Shritharan has called on Sri Lankan president Ranil Wickremesinghe to release the eight individuals who were arrested by Sri Lankan police during the observance of Shivarathri at the Vedukkunaari Hill Athi Sivan temple on Friday. Last week, Sri Lankan police stormed Vedukkunaari Hill Athi Sivan temple in Vavuniya North as Tamils gathered to mark Shivarathri. 8 worshippers were arrested whilst Tamil National People's Front (TNPF) MP Selvarajah Kajendren was assaulted by Sri Lankan police. In his letter to the president, Shritharan stated that the...
Despite repeated pleas from civil society organizations, environmentalists, and locals over the construction of a wind power plant in Eastern Mannar, the government of Sri Lanka announced that it would forge ahead regardless and call for tenders this week owing to ‘growing interests from investors.’ Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekara told the media earlier this week that ten wind and solar projects poised to attract local and foreign investors are being worked off. One of these is the wind power plant in Mannar for which “plans are underway to release a tender notice next week...
A protest was held in Jaffna this morning to condemn the violence and arrests by Sri Lankan police that disrupted Shivarathri celebrations at the Vedukkunaari Athi Sivan temple on Friday.