Tamil Affairs

Tamil News

Latest news from and about the homeland

A fisherman in Keppapulavu, Mullaitivu, was assaulted during a visit by Sri Lanka’s Fisheries Minister, Ramalingam Chandrasekaran, as tensions flared during the Minister’s local government election campaign on 24 April. Chandrasekaran, who was touring the North-East with National People’s Power (NPP) candidates, visited Keppapulavu where he met with representatives of the Keppapulavu Fishermen…

NPP’s Jaffna candidate longs for an era ‘before 2009’

As Sri Lanka’s president Anura Kumara Dissanayake visited Jaffna ahead of parliamentary polls last week, his party’s candidate in the district spoke of an era before the defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and how the National People’s Power (NPP) would “bring that era back to life”.

Academics, Tamils and an extremist Sinhala nationalist - Meet Sri Lanka's new cabinet

Sri Lanka’s President Anura Kumara Dissanayake swore in a 22-member Cabinet on Monday after his party secured a two-third parliamentary majority in last week’s election. We take a closer look at who these appointees are.

Over 500 Sri Lankan soldiers isolated following encephalitis outbreak at occupying Mannar camp

More than 500 Sri Lankan soldiers have been isolated, following a suspected outbreak of encephalitis at an occupying military camp in Mannar this week.

The Sri Lankan military continues to conduct extensive training exercises in these areas, with the most recent involving troops who are suspected to have encephalitis. Even though it has been 15 years since the end of Sri Lanka’s armed conflict, the North-East remains one of the most heavily militarized regions in the world.

Dr. Sathyalingam vows dedicated service to upholding Eelam aspirations

Dr. P. Sathyalingam, general secretary of the Ilankai Thamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) has pledged to do justice to the Tamil homeland, adding that his appointment as a national list will empower him and the party to deliver on the pledge to Eelam Tamils. 

Amaran - Problematic propaganda

amaran

The genre of war epic makes its grand re-entry to Tamil cinema with director Rajkumar Periasamy’s sophomore feature film, ‘Amaran.’ As is often the case with this genre, one cannot help but feel the events of the ‘true story’ onscreen have been heavily modified for easy consumption.

 

 

 

What does Sri Lanka's NPP-majority government mean for Tamils?

As Sri Lanka’s National People’s Power (NPP) swept parliament with a majority that will allow it to amend the constitution, we take a look back at the coalition’s previous pledges and examine what an NPP government holds for Eelam Tamils.

 

A voter walks to a polling station in Mullaitivu on Thursday.

India’s High Commissioner congratulates Sri Lanka’s president on electoral victory

Following a historic victory, which secured the National People’s Power (NPP) coalition a two-thirds majority in Sri Lanka’s parliament, India’s High Commissioner, Santosha Jha, met with Sri Lanka’s President, Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

Shritharan pays tribute to Maaveerar following electoral victory

Following his electoral victory at Sri Lanka’s parliamentary elections, Sivagnanam Shritharan, paid tribute to fallen Maaveerar at Kanagapuram Thuyilum Illam in Kilinochchi.

Sri Lankan army holds pooja at illegally constructed Buddhist temple in Thaiyiddy

The Sri Lankan army held a pooja at the Tissa Raja Vihara, a Buddhist temple which was illegally constructed in Thaiyiddy, Jaffna. 

Tamil protesters joined by the Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF), held black flags outside the illegally constructed temple to demand the return of the land privately owned by 14 Tamil families but is occupied by the Sri Lankan army. 

How big was the Tamil turnout? The lowest in over a decade

Even though hundreds of thousands of Tamils took to the polls on Thursday, turnout remained historically low for the Tamil homeland.

According to figures released by the Election Commission of Sri Lanka, turnout for the North-East was recorded as below.