Tamil Affairs

Tamil News

Latest news from and about the homeland

The arithmetic of a grave
This week, the number of skeletal remains uncovered at Chemmani reached a stark record of 387. With that figure, a patch of earth on the edge of Jaffna town became the largest mass grave ever uncovered on the island, surpassing the 376 remains recovered at Mannar. Recent days alone have seen the bodies of several children exhumed, alongside beads and bangles. These are the contents of the…

‘Abbott falters on crucial leadership test’ – The Age

Nov 19, 2013

Extracts from the editorial Monday by Australia’s The Age newspaper:

“There was a world of difference in the way British Prime Minister David Cameron managed his visit to the Commonwealth [summit] in Sri Lanka and the approach taken by our Prime Minister, Tony Abbott. One was inspirational; the other fawning.

Toronto torture victim takes case to UN

Nov 18, 2013
A Tamil Canadian who was tortured by Sri Lankan state forces when he reutrned to the island in 2007 has filed an official complaint at to the UN Human Rights Committee, accusing Sri Lanka of violating international human rights laws.

44-year-old Roy Samathanam, a Canadian citizen since 1996, was arrested in Colombo, by machine-gun wielding officers from Sri Lanka's Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) in 2007.

He was handcuffed, blindfolded, kept in custody and tortured for 3 years after failing to provide a bribe, whilst his wife and daughter were placed under house arrest.

UNP 'opposed to international inquiry'

Nov 18, 2013
Sri Lanka's main opposition party, the United National Party (UNP), once again reiterated their unwillingness to co-operate with an international inquiry into war crimes, on Monday.

Stating that the government's LLRC was adequate enough to deal with the allegatios, the UNP general secretary, Tissa Attanayake stated,

Chinese firm pens $500mn hotel deal

Nov 18, 2013
The China Harbour Engineering Company  has signed a deal worth $500 million with Sri Lanka authorities to build a golf courses and hotels in Hambantota and Katunayake, according to reports.

The same Chinese firm built a $209 million airport in Hambantota, named the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport, funded by a loan from China.

See our feature from 2010:

Tamil man disappears in Kilinochchi

Nov 18, 2013
Photograph @Kajeepanv


No sooner had the international spectacle of the Commonwealth leaders' summit drawn to a close, than reports of disappearances begun to resurface.

Reconsider CHOGM2015 urge Malta's Greens over SL human rights concerns

Nov 18, 2013
Malta's Green party urged the government to reconsider offer to host the CHOGM 2015 stating that it ‘could be interpreted as condoning human rights abuse in Sri Lanka’. (See here for report in Malta Today.

The chairman of Alternattiva Demokratika, Arnold Cassola, said:

International investigation central to Tamil political demands - TNPF

Nov 18, 2013

Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam of the Tamil National People's Front (TNPF) welcomed the boycott of CHOGM by the leaders of Canada, India and Mauritius.

Explaining TNPF's engagement with Mauritian officials, Ponnambalam said:
"We made very clear to the Mauritian envoy that what is happening here is a genocide,"
Criticising international claims that recent Northern Provincial elections were a marker of progress and reconciliation, he said:
"If the international community is pointing to an unwanted provincial council, that was forced upon the Tamil people, as a sign of progress, then Rajapaksa and Sinhala nationalists will be reassured that no matter what they do, the world will always fall at their feet,"

SL state media calls British Premier an 'unmitigated boor'

Nov 18, 2013

Sri Lanka’s state media referred to British Prime Minister David Cameron as a buffoon, a boor and a bully today, in response to his calls for an international independent investigation into war crimes should Sri Lanka fail to complete one by March.

Families of the disappeared hold candle-lit vigil

Nov 17, 2013
Families of the disappeared staged a candle-lit vigil in Vavuniya, Sunday

The event was organised by the Vavuniya civil monitoring group in a further attempt to raise awareness about the plight of the disappeared and their families.

Hundreds of effected families also staged demonstrations to raise awareness during the historic visit of the British premier, David Cameron, to the North-East on Friday.

Sri Lanka told to protect human rights by China

Nov 17, 2013

China has told Sri Lanka that it should "make efforts to protect and promote human rights", during a media briefing earlier today, PTI reports.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Qin Gang was responding to a question on the Commonwealth summit, human rights and British Premier David Cameron’s pledge to push for an international investigation through the UN Human Rights Council, if Sri Lanka doesn’t complete an independent, credible inquiry by March.

"Due to the differences in the economic and social development of different countries, there could be differences on human rights protection," Qin said.

Toronto torture victim takes case to UN
UNP 'opposed to international inquiry'
Chinese firm pens $500mn hotel deal
Tamil man disappears in Kilinochchi
Reconsider CHOGM2015 urge Malta's Greens over SL human rights concerns
International investigation central to Tamil political demands - TNPF
SL state media calls British Premier an 'unmitigated boor'
Families of the disappeared hold candle-lit vigil
Sri Lanka told to protect human rights by China
CHOGM hotel occupancy ‘far below’ expectations
Toronto torture victim takes case to UN
UNP 'opposed to international inquiry'
Chinese firm pens $500mn hotel deal
Tamil man disappears in Kilinochchi
Reconsider CHOGM2015 urge Malta's Greens over SL human rights concerns
International investigation central to Tamil political demands - TNPF
SL state media calls British Premier an 'unmitigated boor'
Families of the disappeared hold candle-lit vigil
Sri Lanka told to protect human rights by China
CHOGM hotel occupancy ‘far below’ expectations