Tamil Affairs

Tamil News

Latest news from and about the homeland

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…

Tamil political parties call on UN High Commissioner to deliver justice for Tamils

Ahead of the 51st UN Human Rights Council session, several Tamil political leaders have written to UN Human Rights Michelle Bachelet to take decisive action to deliver justice for Tamils and stop the continued atrocities.

Association for Relatives of Enforced Disappearances reiterates 6 key demands ahead of UNHRC session

On 12 August the Association for Relatives of Enforced Disappearances (ARED) released a statement calling for the United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHRC) to acknowledge their demands ahead of the UNHRC session scheduled for September.

The statement which was addressed to the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, emphasized that accountability for enforced disappearances would not be secured with the Sri Lankan government.

Massacre of 53 school girls by Sri Lankan Air Force commemorated in the North-East amidst state surveillance

The massacre of 53 school girls by the Sri Lankan air force was commemorated today across the Tamil homeland on the 16th anniversary of the attack.

On August 14 2006, four Sri Lankan air force jets flew over the Vanni and dropped sixteen bombs over the Sencholai children's home for orphans, killing 53 school girls and 3 teachers. 

Remembering the Sencholai massacre 16 years on

Today marks the 16th anniversary of the massacre of 53 school girls by the Sri Lankan Air Force. 

No justice for Tamil families of the disappeared as they reach 2,000 days of continuous protest

Tamil families of the disappeared rallied in Kilinochchi and Vavuniya yesterday to mark 2,000 days of continuous roadside protest as the search for their forcibly disappeared loved ones continues. 

Viruman: An underwhelming feat

It's a terrible sign when the interval card rolls up and you let out a sign of exasperation, realising there’s another hour and fifteen minutes to sit through. The film opens with the usual cocktail for Tamil commercial ventures: the hero enters to an action block (in this instance, a wrestling match) followed by a song where his strength, bravura and good nature are praised, and soon after we are introduced to the romantic interest.

‘A constructive discussion’ – EU diplomats speak with Sri Lankan president on freedom to protest

The EU delegation in Sri Lanka has met with Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe who they claim to have had a “constructive meeting” on human rights and freedom of expression.

As Tamil families demand justice for their loved ones, US ambassador speaks on tourism

As Tamil families gather across the North-East to demand an account for their loved ones who were forcibly disappeared by the Sri Lankan military, US Ambassador, Julie Chung, met with Sri Lankan Minister for Tourism, Harin Fernando.

In a tweet the ambassador stated:

Tamil families of the disappeared mark 2,000 days of protest in Vavuniya

Tamil families of the disappeared marked 2,000 days of continuous roadside protest in Vavuniya today as their struggle to know the the fate of their forcibly disappeared loved ones goes on. 

The families have been appealing to the international community for accountability as they have no faith that domestic mechanisms will provide justice or accountability. 

2,000 days of protest and yet no answers - Tamil families of the disappeared rally in Kilinochchi

Tamil families of the disappeared are rallying through Kilinochchi today as they mark 2,000 days of continuous protests in the search of their forcibly disappeared loved ones.