Tamil Affairs

Tamil News

Latest news from and about the homeland

Sri Lanka’s Defence Secretary, Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha, met with Pakistan’s Defence Minister, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, in Islamabad this week on the sidelines of the 5th Sri Lanka-Pakistan Bilateral Defence Dialogue, the Sri Lankan government announced. The meeting took place on Tuesday 29 April, the second day of the three-day dialogue, which aims to enhance defence cooperation…

Men now patrolling Sri Lanka ‘an enormous risk to rule of law’ - ITJP & JDS

Sri Lanka’s military commanders who have been put in charge of the recent ramp up in security across the island pose “an enormous potential risk to rule of law”, said the International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP) and Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka (JDS) in a joint dossier released last week.

The Sri Lankan military reported that 10,000 extra troops have been deployed as emergency rule was re-enacted, grating the security forces wide ranging powers of detention. 

UNP welcomes presidential pardon of Bodu Bala Sena leader

<p>UNP parliamentarian and health minister Rajitha Senaratne welcomed the presidential pardon of Gnanasara Thero, leader of the extremist Bodu Bala Sena (BBS), adding that the UNP&nbsp;was of the same sentiment.&nbsp;</p> <p>Speaking on the presidential pardon, Senaratne said,</p>

Three arrested over WhatsApp group

Sri Lankan police have arrested three people yesterday over a WhatsApp group which allegedly shared extremist content. 

The group, entitled 'Dharga town Breaking News' included 100 members. The three suspects, aged 20 - 23, are all believed to be from Dharga town. 

The administrator of the group, a 23-year-old resident of Lotus Road, arrived in the country after being employed abroad, the police reported. 

Twenty-five people left the group today, the Sunday Times reported  

Jaffna Uni students protest for charges to be dropped

Students at the University of Jaffna continued their campaign to have their student leaders cleared of terrorism charges with a protest on Thursday.

Following the Easter Sunday bombings by Islamist extremists, the president and secretary of the university’s student union were arrested when a photograph of LTTE leader V Prabhakaran was found in their office during a search operation of the campus. A canteen manager was also arrested and detained when a photo of Thileepan was found in the dining area.

Remembering the victims of Easter Sunday: Jeshanika

Jeshanika Thivanithan was in grade 8 at St Cecilia’s Girls College in Batticaloa and excelled at extra curricular. The second of three daughters, Jeshanika’s death at the hands of suicide bombers on Easter Sunday has devastated her family.

On Sunday, April 21, thirteen-year-old Jeshanika and her sister, ten-year-old Jeromika, were attending Sunday school at the Zion Church of Batticaloa. They were sitting on the church’s staircase when the first blast went off.

Sri Lankan navy arrest 9 people in Trincomalee

<p>The Sri Lankan navy yesterday arrested nine people for alleged illegal fishing in Trincomalee.&nbsp;</p> <p>The nine people were accused of using unauthorised fishing nets.&nbsp;</p> <p>The men were taken into custody and their fishing nets and dinghie confiscated.&nbsp;</p>

Sri Lanka says UN advisors 'insensitive and ill-conceived'

Sri Lanka's permanent representative to the UN in New York criticised UN Special Advisors as "ill-conceived and insensitive" for releasing a joint statement earlier this month, warning Sri Lanka was moving backwards towards inter-ethnic conflict. 

Reflections from Mullivaikkal: From the Ashes

As part of a series marking the atrocities of Mullivaikkal, we invited activists, journalists, and writers from around the world to share their experiences and reflections a decade on.

‘ISIS military plan and Kuwaiti army uniforms’ recovered claims Sri Lankan military

The Sri Lankan military claimed to have recovered several weapons, Saudi Arabian and Kuwaiti identity cards and an ISIS military plan in a series of raids carried out across the island this week.

The army’s official military website claimed that search operations continued as security remains ramped up in the wake of the Easter Sunday attacks last month.

Reflections from Mullivaikkal: Kilinochchi

As part of a series marking the atrocities of Mullivaikkal, families of the disappeared protesting in Kilinochchi shared their reflections on their experiences and the struggles they continue to face a decade on.