The British Tamil Conservatives (BTC) hosted their annual reception at the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham on Sunday, with number of current and former parliamentarians present. Speakers at the event highlighted the contributions of the British Tamil community and reiterated their commitment to advocating for justice for Tamils in Sri Lanka.

Writing in the Hamilton Spectator, Gwynne Dyer, questions who is responsible for Sri Lanka’s dire economic and political status. Comparing Sri Lanka’s post-independence history to that of its south asian neighbours, Dyer notes that “none compares with Sri Lanka for sustained, large-scale violence across five decades”.

Dyer notes that in addressing this question there are many contenders;

Tamil Families of the Disappeared will mark October 1 as a day of sorrow and mourning across the North-East, remembering the tens of thousands of Tamils who were killed or forcibly disappeared during Sri Lanka's decades-long armed conflict.

Nirmalnathan Nirajani, a Tamil mother of the disappeared, said the day, on which Sri Lanka marks “Children’s Day” was one filled with grief for Tamils.

A memorial was held at the Jaffna Press Club to commemorate the late journalist and cartoonist Ashwin Sutharshan as well as supporter of Tamil Eelam struggle Viraj Mendis.

Pic by Isura Nimantha | Credit: Shutterstock

Sri Lanka's acting Inspector General of Police, Priyantha Weerasooriya, has announced that the island's notorious anti-drug crackdown, Operation Yukthiya, will continue 'strongly and better' despite a change in administration.

A coalition of Eelam Tamil women from Sri Lanka’s North-East held a media briefing in Jaffna recently, calling for greater representation and attention to their rights ahead of the parliamentary election scheduled for November 14. The women expressed their desire for a female leader to represent their community's aspirations and struggles, marking a significant step in their long-standing fight for equality and justice.

On Sunday, September 29, the Sri Lankan Navy apprehended 17 Indian fishermen and seized two trawlers near Mannar for allegedly fishing illegally in Sri Lankan waters. This incident adds to the ongoing tension between Tamil Nadu and the Tamil Eelam homeland, where illegal fishing by Indian fishermen has been a contentious issue for years.

Hundreds of Tamils, including men, women, and the elderly, gathered at the crossroads of the Mannar-Talaimannar main road to protest against the opening of a liquor store, which was granted a license despite fierce opposition from the community and local clergy.

The Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) has called on Sri Lankans to register for construction jobs in Israel, even as the country intensifies military operations across Lebanon, the Palestinian territories, and Syria.