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…

Indian PM 'aware' of CHOGM opposition

Oct 31, 2013
India's Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram has said that the central government is aware of some minister's opposing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's attendance at CHOGM.

However the Hindu newspaper also drew attention to Northern Provincial Chief Minister C. V. Wigneswaran's refusal to boycott CHOGM, and reported a senior Indian government official as saying:

“If he attends, what is now left for us to protest?”

Sri Lanka deports international journalists

Oct 31, 2013
Sri Lankan’s immigration authorities deported two international journalists, for breaching the country’s visa regulations today.

The two journalists, Asia Pacific Director of the International Federation of journalists (IFJ) Jacqueline Parker and Deputy Director, Jane Worthington, were deported after being detained and interrogated.
Sri Lankan authorities wiped all the data from a journalist's laptop before sending her back to Australia, reports the AFP.

Sri Lankan military commends parents of 'War Heroes'

Oct 31, 2013
A ceremony of appreciation  was staged for the parents of Sri Lankan Army ‘war heroes’  who were killed in the ethnic conflict, reports the Ministry of Defence.

Parents of 135 perished Sri Lankan military personnel were rewarded with medals and parchments containing certificates.

This week also saw the Sri Lankan military demolish the remaining graveyards of the LTTE.

Gotabhaya welcomes Cameron visit to Jaffna

Oct 30, 2013

Defence Secretary and war crimes accused Gotabhaya Rajapkasa has said he welcomes international visits to the north of the island, as this could help the government “counter the lies” that are spread by the “LTTE rump”.

SL 'must allow a UN investigation' - Telegraph editorial

Oct 30, 2013
The Telegraph editorial on Thursday, entitled 'Sri Lanka's tragedy', called on British Prime Minister David Cameron to ensure Sri Lanka holds an 'independent and international inquiry' into the fate of the thousands of disappeared people.

Sri Lanka has the second highest number of 'disappeared' people in the world according to the UN, behind only Iraq.

Speaking on the upcoming CHOGM, the piece went on to say Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa is 'deeply compromised' and it was 'never sensible' to allow Sri Lanka to host the event, yet it also added that a British boycott would not 'be wise'.

Disappearances, rape and torture remain prevalent in the North-East

Oct 30, 2013

Rape and torture by Sri Lankan security forces continues unabated despite the imminent arrival of David Cameron and 50 world leaders for a Commonwealth summit in the country, said Human Rights Watch (HRW) today.

Data gathered by Human Rights Watch revealed that Sri Lanka had the 2nd highest number of outstanding disappearance cases in the world.

Sri Lanka expels Australian IFJ activists

Oct 30, 2013
Sri Lanka has expelled two Australia media activists from the International Federation of Journalists, after raiding a Colombo hotel where they were speaking to colleagues on the island.

The pair, Jacqui Park and Jean Worthington, were interrogated by immigration and police officials before being expelled for breaking visa conditions.

Sunil Jayasekera from the Free Media Movement stated the two Australians were on holiday and were meeting their colleagues in a hotel in Colombo, before being held by the Sri Lankan authorities.

It's all about 'image'...

Oct 30, 2013

The main opposition United National Party (UNP) urged the Sri Lankan government to regain Sri lanka’s image.

The UNP spokesperson, Gayantha Karunathilaka, outlined the need to build confidence among members of the international community and improve the country’s ‘image’ in the international arena.

SL military general side-lined from ICRC event

Oct 30, 2013

The Sri Lankan military commander of the 57 division that was deployed in Vanni during the final stages of the armed conflict, has been side-lined from an International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) event in Australia.

Remaining LTTE graveyards destroyed

Oct 29, 2013
The last two remaining LTTE graveyards in Tamil homeland have been demolished by the Sri Lankan military, a month ahead of this year's Maaveerar Naal or Heroes's Day, reported Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka.

The remaining cemeteries were located in Kanakapuram and Muzhankavil in the Kilinochchi district and Theravil in the Mullaitivu district.
 
The Jaffna based newspaper Uthayan was quoted as saying,
Sri Lanka deports international journalists
Sri Lankan military commends parents of 'War Heroes'
Gotabhaya welcomes Cameron visit to Jaffna
SL 'must allow a UN investigation' - Telegraph editorial
Disappearances, rape and torture remain prevalent in the North-East
Sri Lanka expels Australian IFJ activists
It's all about 'image'...
SL military general side-lined from ICRC event
Remaining LTTE graveyards destroyed
Vatican commission denounces Tamil genocide
Sri Lanka deports international journalists
Sri Lankan military commends parents of 'War Heroes'
Gotabhaya welcomes Cameron visit to Jaffna
SL 'must allow a UN investigation' - Telegraph editorial
Disappearances, rape and torture remain prevalent in the North-East
Sri Lanka expels Australian IFJ activists
It's all about 'image'...
SL military general side-lined from ICRC event
Remaining LTTE graveyards destroyed
Vatican commission denounces Tamil genocide