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…

Sri Lanka slips down global corruption perception rankings

Sri Lanka fell 8 places in Transparency International’s corruption perception index (CPI) for 2021, with the state now ranking 102nd in the world.

With a score of 37/100, Sri Lanka drops behind countries such as Vietnam, India, China and East Timor. The latest ranking is the second worst score it has received from Transparency International

Sri Lankan police push back Tamil mothers of the disappeared protest in Vavuniya

Sri Lankan police officers have pushed back protesting Tamil mothers in Vavuniya today, as they demanded justice for their forcibly disappeared loved ones outside a justice ministry meeting in the city.

Nurdles continue to wreak havoc on Sri Lankan fishermen and sealife

As Sri Lanka continues to struggle to maintain a tourist-worthy destination on all fronts, a reoccurring issue hits the headlines again: the nurdles that are decorated along the south and west beaches of Sri Lanka.

In May, 87 containers of nurdles, which are essentially small plastic pellets - used to make just about anything, escaped into coastal areas in Sri Lanka following the fire and sinking of an X-Press Pearl cargo ship.

Sanction Sri Lankan General Jagath Jayasuriya – ITJP

The International Truth and Justice Project has released a damning video calling on the British Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office to impose Magnitsky-style sanctions on retired Sri Lankan General Jagath Jayasuriya for heinous human rights abuses.

13 years later, LTTE’s Daya Master sentenced over 'terrorism' by Sri Lankan court

A court in Sri Lanka has sentenced Daya Master, a former media co-ordinator with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, to two years’ imprisonment, almost 13 years since the end of the armed conflict.

Daya Master surrendered to the Sri Lankan army in April 2009, in the midst of a massive Sri Lankan offensive that killed tens of thousands of Tamils civilians and executed many other Tamil surrendees.

‘Sri Lanka is not really friendly with any country’ – Ranil laments Sri Lanka’s economic policy

In an interview with the Island, former Sri Lankan Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremasinghe lamented the government’s disastrous economic policy which has seen a surge in the price of basic goods and shortages in food and medicines.

Twelve years on - Eknaligoda's wife loses faith in Sri Lankan judiciary system

Twelve years ago on 24 January, journalist, political analyst, and cartoonist Prageeth Eknaligoda was reported missing, exactly two days before the presidential election in 2010, which Rajapaksa won.

Eknaligoda’s wife, Sandhya, insisting that the truth be revealed, sought guidance from a higher power today, after having said that she had given up faith in authorities and the judiciary system. This morning, Sandhya shaved her head at a Kaali temple in the outskirts of Colombo during a special pooja. 

Attacked with barbed wire by drunken Sri Lankan officers – another Tamil man hospitalised

A Tamil driver in Mullaitivu has been admitted to hospital after intoxicated Sri Lankan military officers assaulted him with a palm stick wrapped in barbed wire on Monday.

Navaratnam Uthayaseelan was driving his tipper vehicle in the Kaiveli area in the early hours of Monday morning, when he reports being stopped by plainclothes Sri Lankan military officials.

‘Sensationalised and biased’ - Sri Lanka lashes out at Human Rights Watch

Responding to a damning Human Rights Watch report, Sri Lanka’s Foreign Ministry has lashed out against the findings claiming that “sensationalized and biased reporting” risks “risks igniting and aggravating domestic discord”.

Sri Lanka makes it mandatory for hotel services to charge tourists in foreign currency as dollar crisis worsens

The Central Bank of Sri Lanka has published a gazette notification, mandating that hotel services accept payments from tourists only in foreign exchange as the islands economic crisis worsens. 

The gazette notification notes that hotel services registered with and licensed by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority are required to,  

Accept payments for services rendered to persons resident outside Sri Lanka only in foreign exchange.