Tamil Affairs

Tamil News

Latest news from and about the homeland

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A Guinness World Record set by nearly 5,000 Bharatanatyam dancers at Galle Face in Colombo has sparked controversy, after activists questioned why the official recognition was awarded to organisers and an overseas instructor rather than the thousands of performers who paid to take part. The SANGAMAM-2026 event, held on 14 June, saw 4,988 dancers successfully set a new Guinness World Record for…

Sinhalese settlers feed explosives to Tamil farmer's cattle

Sinhalese settlers who have been encroaching upon land used by Tamil farmers to graze their cattle in Mayilathamadu, have reportedly fed a cow owned by a Tamil armer an explosive, ripping its jaw into shreds.

Genocide apologist looks to ward off justice for Sri Lanka’s war crimes

Sri Lankan parliamentarian Sarath Weerasekara, the current Chairmen of the Sectoral Oversight Committee for National Security, told a press conference in Colombo that he is about to submit a comprehensive report on the “real state of affairs” to ward off international accountability over mass atrocities committed by Sri Lanka’s armed forces.

Australia posts ‘death threat’ billboards in Jaffna to deter Tamil refugees

The Australian government has come under fire for its controversial asylum policy once more, after a poster was spotted in Jaffna this month warning of death if Tamil refugees sought to flee the island for Australia.

Images posted on social media show a billboard warning against fleeing to Australia, stating “Don't be in a hurry for your funeral”.

“If you are caught, you will perish,” the poster adds, with amangala thoranam leaves in the backdrop. The leaves are traditionally displayed at Tamil funeral homes.

We will definitely kill you' - Armed men issue death threat to Tamil activist in Batticaloa

Sri Lankan police question Tamil journalists over land grab protest in Batticaloa

Two Tamil journalists were questioned by Sri Lankan police for over two hours today over their coverage of a protest in Batticaloa earlier this month. 

On October 8, the two Batticaloa based journalists, Punniyamoorthy Sasikaran and V Krisnakumar, attended and covered a demonstration by Tamils who were protesting against the land grabs by Sinhala settlers in Madhavanai and Mayilathamadu. The protesters were marching towards Chenkaldy Central College, where Sri Lankan president Ranil Wickremasinghe was attending an event, but were brutally assaulted by Sri Lankan police.  

‘We asked Sampanthan to step down, he refused’ – Sumanthiran

Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian M A Sumanthiran revealed how he, and others in the party, had called on leader R Sampanthan to step down, but the 90-year old politician refused to do so.

Sampanthan has led the TNA since its formation in 2001, but in recent years has fought growing unpopularity, rifts within the coalition, and bouts of ill health.

Every single Tamil will be cut into pieces! Sinhala Buddhist monk threatens a massacre

"Every single Tamil person will be cut into pieces!" exclaims the monk. "They will all be killed! All the Tamils in the south will be cut into pieces and butchered! The Sinhalese will massacre them."

SLPP MP claims Sri Lanka’s defence secretary and army chief threatened him over budget cuts

A parliamentarian with the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) claimed Sri Lanka’s defence secretary and army chief threatened him inside the parliament, after he proposed possible budget cuts to the military.

Chaminda Weerakkody claimed that the incident occurred as the Sectoral Oversight Committee on National Security discussed possible budget cuts to Sri Lanka’s military, given the ongoing economic difficulties the government faces.

Bullying, sexual assault and suicide – Tamil asylum seekers have some breathing space but face long battle in Diego Garcia

A group of Eelam Tamil asylum seekers being held in the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) of Diego Garcia have been granted a small reprieve in their battle against being deported to Sri Lanka, as more details of bullying, sexual assault and suicide attempts continued to emerge.  

A total of 61 asylum seekers are being held on Diego Garcia and are waging a tedious legal battle to claim asylum.

Still no justice for Tamil activists shot dead in Paris

Today marks 27 years since two Tamil activists were shot dead in a Parisian neighbourhood, a murder that shocked the Tamil diaspora worldwide and remains unsolved to this day.

Kandiah Gajendran, also known as Gajan, was the editor of Paris based Tamil weekly 'Eelamurasu' and Kandiah Perinpanathan, known as Nathan, was in-charge of LTTE's international finance. The two men aged 30 and 32-years old respectively, were strolling down Boulevard de La Chapelle on the 26th of October 1996 - a neighbourhood which had a long established and thriving Eelam Tamil community.