Tamil Affairs

Tamil News

Latest news from and about the homeland

Sinnathurai commemorating Maaveerar Naal in London, 2022. Selvachandran Sinnathurai, the father of Lieutenant Shankar, the first fighter from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to be killed in the Tamil armed struggle, passed away in London earlier this month. Lieutenant Shankar holds a significant place in Tamil history as the first cadre to sacrifice his life in the early…

Families of disappeared in Amparai protest against UN extension

Tamil families of the disappeared protested in Amparai on Sunday calling on the UN to ensure justice and deny Sri Lankan an extension on its resolution commitments.

Sri Lankan police obstruct displaced families signature campaign

Sri Lankan police officers and intelligence personnel threatened displaced families who launched a signature campaign this week in Keppapulavu, Mullaitivu. 

Trinco fishermen demand release of land

Fishermen in Trincomalee on Monday protested demanding the release of land in Kuchchveli from private companies. 

Keppapulavu protesters urge action to Swiss officials

Meeting with Swiss officials last week, displaced families from Keppapulavu who have been protesting for 730 days for their lands urged them to take action. 

UK urges Sri Lanka to 'implement in full' UNHRC resolution

The United Kingdom on Monday urged Sri Lanka to "implement in full" the co-sponsored resolution 30/1 of the UN Human Rights Council, which calls for a hybrid mechanism of justice to examining crimes committed at the end of the armed conflict. 

Tamil Nadu chief minister urges Modi to secure fishermen release

The chief minister of Tamil Nadu this week wrote to the Indian premier, Narendra Modi, urging him to secure the release of 46 fishermen currently detained in Sri Lanka by the navy. 

Sri Lanka asks IMF for loan extension and relaxed spending targets

Sri Lanka has asked the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to extend a $1.5 billion loan by another year and for tight spending targets to be relaxed ahead of key election, Reuters reports.

The IMF programme is crucial for Sri Lanka to continue ensure favourable borrowing terms. However the fund delayed discussions on the sixth tranche of a three-year loan in November following the country’s plunge into a political crisis over the Sri Lankan president’s attempt to replace the prime minister.

FCO asked to clarify role in withdrawal of Sri Lankan brigadier arrest warrant

A British MP has requested clarification as to whether the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) intervened in favour of withdrawing an arrest warrant issued on a Sri Lankan brigadier after he was found guilty of public order offences including threatening Tamil protesters in London last year.

Writing to the Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt about Brigadier Priyanka Fernando, the former military attaché at the Sri Lankan High Commission in London, Siobhain McDonagh MP said:

Resignations calls continue as Harrow Mayor forced to apologise over Brigadier photos

 

Calls for the Mayor of the London borough of Harrow to resign continued among the local Tamil community today, despite the Mayor being forced to apologise for photographs she had taken with senior Sri Lankan military officials, including the brigadier found guilty of threatening Tamil protesters in London.

Two Sinhalese youth arrested over illegal sand-mining in Vavuniya

Two Sinhalese youths have been arrested for illegal sand-mining in Vavuniya.