Standing with the Eelam Tamil community in their struggle against oppression and injustice. We must find a permanent solution based on their right to self-determination that ensures stability and peace in the Indo-Pacific. pic.twitter.com/x2boQ4cek4

More Tamil diaspora organisations have spoken out against a declaration signed by the Global Tamil Forum (GTF) and Sinhala Buddhist clergy, stating it gives Sri Lankan president Ranil Wickremesinghe an “opportunity to hoodwink the international community”, as backlash continues to grow this week.

The Tamil Information Centre (TIC) hosted the annual International Human Rights Day event in London, UK, on 10 December 2023. The event, attended by renowned journalists, human rights activists, professionals and politicians, shed light on the role the international human rights system has played both in the past and continuing human rights abuses faced by the Tamil population in the North-East and in the diaspora.

**Content warning - scenes of animal cruelty**

The Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation (TELO), a constituent party of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), has denounced a Sri Lankan government-backed initiative by the Global Tamil Forum (GTF) and some Sinhala Buddhist monks as “irresponsible” and one that “misdirects our entire political aspirations”.

Tamils in Batticaloa held a protest today on Human Rights Day to highlight the ongoing human rights abuses perpetrated against the Tamil people by the Sri Lankan state.  

Tamil families of the disappeared protested in Mullaitivu and Vavuniya today to renew their calls for international accountability and mark Human Rights Day. 

The leader of the Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) refused to meet with the Global Tamil Forum (GTF) this week, after the diaspora organisation signed a declaration with Sinhala Buddhist monks that has been labelled a “whitewash”.

In response to a Sri Lankan government-backed initiative that has seen the Global Tamil Forum (GTF) sign a joint declaration with Sinhala Buddhist monks, a host of Tamil diaspora organisations from around the globe have reiterated their commitment for Sri Lanka to be referred to the International Criminal Court for genocide and for an international monitored referendum to be conducted in the Tamil homeland.

“The key organizations listed below within the Tamil Diaspora, which closely align with the views of the Tamil people in the North-East, have developed their position through extensive dialogues with members of the grassroot community,” said the joint statement, which was released this morning.

The Global Tamil Forum (GTF) met with Ranil Wickremesinghe this week after it signed a declaration with a group of senior Sinhala Buddhist monks from different sects in Sri Lanka.

Photographs published on the Sri Lankan president’s official website show GTF members alongside saffron-robed monks, handing over a copy of the ‘Joint Himalayan Declaration’ to Wickremesinghe.

File photograph

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has issued a statement condemning Sri Lanka’s arrest of 9 Tamils in Batticaloa under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) during Maaveerar Naal commemorations.

Tamils across the world marked Maaveerar Naal on Monday, paying tribute to the men and women who laid down their lives for the liberation of Tamil Eelam.

Whilst a crackdown was underway in the North-East, around the world - from Australia, to Europe to North America - several large scale commemorations were held.

See a round up of events that took place around the world below.

The Sri Lankan air force has completed the purchase of two new Chinese built planes, as military spending continues, and the island continues to be plagued by militarisation.

Relatives of a Tamil youth, who was reportedly tortured to death under Sri Lankan police custody, staged a protest in Jaffna this week, demanding justice for his killing