Tamil Affairs

Tamil News

Latest news from and about the homeland

Image by Tamil Narratives  Today marks 17 years since the death of Brigadier Balraj, a senior commander with the LTTE, who passed away from a sudden heart attack in 2008. Brig. Balraj was famed for his courage, leadership and skills on the battlefield. His body was laid to rest with full military honours, at the Mulliyavalai Heroes Cemetery in Mullaitivu. The cemetery has since been…

Sri Lanka Air Force contradicts Bimal Ratnayake’s premature crash claims

 

A rift has emerged between the Sri Lanka Air Force and Transport and Civil Aviation Minister Bimal Ratnayake, after the minister made claims regarding the cause of a recent military aircraft crash, contradicting official Air Force statements.

Tamil families of the disappeared welcome UK sanctions, call for wider accountability

Tamil Families of the Disappeared have hailed the United Kingdom’s decision to impose sanctions on senior Sri Lankan military officials accused of war crimes, stating that the move affirms the long-standing demands of Tamil families for international justice and recognition of the genocide committed against Tamils in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lankan authorities launch multiple probes into Lyca Group’s media acquisitions

Three state agencies in Sri Lanka have launched investigations into the Tamil-owned UK-based Lyca Group over its acquisition of a network of 12 media companies on the island, with questions raised over the legality of the transactions and the processes by which licences were granted.

Paramilitaries reunite – Karuna and Pillayan form new alliance ‘for sake of Eastern Tamils’

Pro-Sri Lankan government paramilitary leaders Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan, also known as Karuna Amman, and Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan laso known as Pillayan, have formally reunited after 21 years, signing a memorandum of understanding in Batticaloa on 22 March 2025 to work together under a new political alliance.

The move saw the formation of the Eastern Tamil Alliance.  

US-Sri Lanka military ties grow as Washington pledges another vessel

The Commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM), Admiral Samuel J. Paparo, visited Colombo from 19 to 21 March 2025, reinforcing the growing military relationship between the United States and Sri Lanka. 

More organisations welcome UK sanctions on Sri Lankan war criminals

Tamil diaspora groups and international human rights organisations have welcomed the United Kingdom’s decision to impose targeted sanctions on four individuals implicated in grave human rights violations during Sri Lanka’s armed conflict.

In photographs - Eid al-Fitr in Tamil Eelam

Eid al-Fitr was marked in Tamil Eelam this week, as Muslims in the Tamil homeland joined those around the world to celebrate the festival.

See footage from across the North-East below.

Mannar

Trichy-Jaffna flight touches down after 47-year gap

A direct flight service between Tiruchirappalli in Tamil Nadu and Jaffna in Sri Lanka officially commenced on 30 March 2025, marking the first such connection between the two cities in nearly five decades.

India and Sri Lanka to sign defence pact and electricity grid connectivity agreement 

India and Sri Lanka are set to sign their first-ever defence cooperation agreement during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Colombo, with reports that a deal to link electricity grids with a cable connecting Mannar to Tamil Nadu will also be inked next week. 

Modi is set to visit Colombo from April 4 to 6, where the agreements are slated to be finalised and signed. 

Sri Lankan Navy arrests deepen India-Sri Lanka tensions over Tamil fishermen dispute

The arrest of eleven Tamil Nadu fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy last week has reignited tensions between New Delhi and Colombo over the decades-long maritime conflict in the Palk Strait, as India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar acknowledged the enduring diplomatic and historical challenges behind the crisis.