Tamil Affairs

Tamil News

Latest news from and about the homeland

Remembering Sivaram - 20 years since the killing of leading Tamil journalist
Today marks the 20th anniversary since the abduction and murder of Tamil journalist Dharmeratnam Sivaram. Sivaram, popularly known under his nom-de-plume Taraki, was abducted in front of Bambalipitiya police station in Colombo on April 28 and was found dead several hours later in a high security zone in Sri Lanka's capital, which at the time had a heavy police and military presence due to the…

Sri Lankan army teaches Tamil women about ‘personal hygiene’

May 25, 2015

The Sri Lankan military hosted an event earlier this month to “educate” the women of Kilinochchi about personal hygiene, reports the Sri Lankan army.

Some 200 women were “educated on ‘Personal Hygiene’” earlier this month, according to the Sri Lankan army website.

Sirisena visits Jaffna after protests over school girl rape

May 25, 2015
2nd lead
Photograph Tamil Guardian


The Sri Lankan president, Maithripala Sirisena visted Jaffna on Monday following last week's protests over the rape and murder of a school girl in Pungudutivu.

Wigneswaran tells Sri Lankan president North's needs are greatest

May 25, 2015
The chief minister of the northern province, C V Wigneswaran told the Sri Lankan president on Tuesday that the north had much greater needs than the rest of the island and therefore much more financial resources should be allocated to it compared to other provinces.

Mr Wigneswaran asked the president, Maithripala Sirisena, this whilst he visited Jaffna on Tuesday following sustained protests over the rape and murder of school girl in Pungudutivu.

The development needs of the north were three to four times greater, Mr Wigneswaran added.

Family of Vithiya face ongoing harrassment

May 25, 2015

The family of murdered schoolgirl S Vithiya have said that they are experiencing ongoing harassment and have requested to be relocated.

Vithiya’s mother and brother told Sri Lankan president Maithripala Sirisena during his visit that they feared for their safety and wished to be moved.

Mr Sirisena told the family that they would receive aid from the President’s fund and that he would discuss the issue of the family’s security with Northern Province chief minister C V Wigneswaran.

Sri Lankan CID officers probe 'anti-national' groups in Jaffna

May 24, 2015
Criminal Investigation Division (CID) officers arrived in Jaffna on Saturday to probe whether protests over the rape and murder of a Pungudutivu school girl involved "anti-national groups" who were trying to destablise the Jaffna peninsula, the Sunday Times reported.

Vithiya, who went missing after school on May 13, was found dead with her hands and feet tied to logs the next day. Arrests have been made regarding the incident as demonstrations were held across the North-East, demanding prompt action against the perpetrators.

Peaceful protests calling for those responsible to face justice turned violent on Wednesday, as distrust and scepticism over whether the Sri Lankan police and legal system would ensure justice increased, following the escape of one of the suspects to Colombo. The suspect was later found and returned to Jaffna police station.

Still no ray of light for Tamils despite new Sri Lankan government says Trinco bishop

May 24, 2015
The Bishop of Trincomalee, Rt Rev Dr Kingsley Swampillai, said that despite the new government that came to power in Sri Lanka there was "still no ray of light" for Tamils seeking a solution to the islands ethnic conflict.

“Although the Tamils have been waiting for a solution to relieve their plight for a long time, there is still no ray of light in this regard,” Bishop Swampillai said in an interview to TamilNet this week.


Profiles of May 2009: Kumaran

May 24, 2015
Tamils Against Genocide (TAG)
The following account is based on interviews to Tamils Against Genocide. Personal details of Kumaran (not his real name), place names and dates have been changed to protect his identity.

 Illustration Keera Ratnam


When Kumaran wakes up in the room he has been given by the Home Office, it takes him a few minutes to adjust to his present surroundings. Sleepless nights, recurrent nightmares and depression help contribute to this disorientation. He feels an overwhelming sense of claustrophobia, of the walls moving in, caging him once again. His room, his present day cage, reminds him of the cell he had been kept prisoner in for two years. It is difficult for him to differentiate between the nightmares of his sleep and his present reality. For Kumaran, life in his room in the UK is one of living torture: uncertainty and threat of deportation mirror the uncertainty and fear which shadowed him when locked away for so many months. For Kumaran the years ahead seem to hold nothing but ceaseless striving: to reconcile the trauma of his past with the relative security of his present.

Cameron discusses reconciliation progress with Sri Lankan PM

May 24, 2015
The British prime minister, David Cameron, discussed progress on reconciliation with the Sri Lankan prime minister, Ranil Wickremasinghe on Monday, as he congratulated Mr Cameron on his electoral victory.

In tweet this morning, Number 10 said: "PM congratulated by PM Wickremesinghe of Sri Lanka on election. Discussed progress on reconciliation & agreed to build bilateral relations."

South African delegation meets Tamil diaspora organisations to discuss issues of settling Sri Lanka's ethnic conflict

May 24, 2015
A South African delegation, headed by the Deputy Minister of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) Nomaindiya C Mfeketo, held an official consultation with Tamil diaspora organisations with regards to Tamil affairs in Sri Lanka and work towards bringing a sense of normalcy to the North-East of the island.

A series of discussions were held on Monday at the South African embassy in London, with representatives from Tamil diaspora organisations including, the South African Solidarity Group for Peace and Justice in Sri Lanka (SGPJ), British Tamil Forum (BTF), United States Tamil Political Action Campaign (USTPAC), Global Tamil Forum (GTF), International Council of Eelam Tamils (ICET), National Council of Canadian Tamils (NCCT), Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC) and Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE).

A source from the meeting said that some of the discussions were centered around actions needed to produce a conducive environment in the North-East to foster a future process to end the ethnic conflict on the island.

The South African delegation consisted of the Deputy Director General for Asia & Middle East Dr Anil Sooklal, Special Advisor to Deputy President Ms Nokukhanya Jele, Deputy Director for South Asia Mr Tielman Furter and the South African High Commissioner to the UK Mr Obed Mlaba.

Speaking to the Tamil Guardian, the SGPJ General Secretary, Pregasen Padayachee said,

“We outlined the importance of bringing about a sense of normalcy to the Tamil North-East before any actual negotiation process is put in place with the Sri Lankan government to solve the ethnic conflict.”

The Deputy Minister for International Relations Nomaindiya C Mfekto met with the SGPJ earlier this month in South Africa.

The South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) in a statement released on Monday said,

"One of the cornerstones of the South African Initiative in Sri Lanka is to consult with stakeholders within and external to Sri Lanka as part of South Africa’s initiatives aimed at promoting a lasting political solution, peace initiatives, truth-telling and reconciliation in Sri Lanka. This includes some members of the Sri Lankan Tamil Diaspora"

Unacceptable presence of war criminal soldiers in North-East - CV Wigneswaran

May 24, 2015

The chief minister of the Northern Province, C V Wigneswaran has criticised the continued militarisation of the North-East by forces that he describes as “threatening” and perpetrators of war crimes.

“In order for normality to return to our daily lives, the military must withdraw from our lands,” the chief minister said, speaking at the 150 year anniversary of Inuvil Hindu College.

“Saying we are all brothers and sisters and getting on stage and calling for goodwill and amiable relations between us while continuing to stations soldiers that committed war crimes to occupy our lands is not acceptable in any way,” he said.

Sirisena visits Jaffna after protests over school girl rape
Wigneswaran tells Sri Lankan president North's needs are greatest
Family of Vithiya face ongoing harrassment
Sri Lankan CID officers probe 'anti-national' groups in Jaffna
Still no ray of light for Tamils despite new Sri Lankan government says Trinco bishop
Profiles of May 2009: Kumaran
Cameron discusses reconciliation progress with Sri Lankan PM
South African delegation meets Tamil diaspora organisations to discuss issues of settling Sri Lanka's ethnic conflict
Unacceptable presence of war criminal soldiers in North-East - CV Wigneswaran
Local priest says Tamils braved threats from Sri Lankan officers to mourn dead
Sirisena visits Jaffna after protests over school girl rape
Wigneswaran tells Sri Lankan president North's needs are greatest
Family of Vithiya face ongoing harrassment
Sri Lankan CID officers probe 'anti-national' groups in Jaffna
Still no ray of light for Tamils despite new Sri Lankan government says Trinco bishop
Profiles of May 2009: Kumaran
Cameron discusses reconciliation progress with Sri Lankan PM
South African delegation meets Tamil diaspora organisations to discuss issues of settling Sri Lanka's ethnic conflict
Unacceptable presence of war criminal soldiers in North-East - CV Wigneswaran
Local priest says Tamils braved threats from Sri Lankan officers to mourn dead