The US has blocked Supreme Court of British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) access into British territory of Diego Garcia and prevented Eelam Tamil migrants' court hearing, citing security concerns.

Tamil residents in Mannar have voiced their concern as a Sri Lankan army checkpoint, previously removed several years ago, has been reinstated at the Mannar Main Bridge.

A three-day “Tamil Economic Future Summit'' was held in Davos, Switzerland last month with Tamils from around the world attending to discuss advancing the interests and causes of the global Tamil community.

“I will make my people ungovernable!” Rajavarothiam Sampanthan exclaimed, banging on the table.

The legal battle involving Mullaitivu Media Association President and Mullaitivu District Journalist Shanmugam Tavaseelan has continued in Sri Lankan courts, with the naval officer who accused Thavaseelan of assault finally appearing in court.

In a desperate bid for safety, an Eelam Tamil mother and her two young children, sought refuge in Dhanushkodi, India this week, fleeing from Thalaimannar. 

Gopalakrishnan Gokul Prem Kumar, a former cadre of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and talented artist, died last week under mysterious circumstances. 

More than 50 prominent Tamil diaspora organizations from 15 countries have thrown their weight behind US House Resolution 1230, which calls for an independence referendum to provide Eelam Tamils with a political solution to the ethnic issue in Sri Lanka. The resolution, introduced in Congress on May 15, 2024, has garnered widespread support and is now gaining momentum.

Former Parliamentarian Hirunika Premachandra, a vocal member of Sri Lanka’s Opposition Party Samagi Jana Balawegaya, has been sentenced to three years of imprisonment for her involvement in the abduction and assault of a youth.

Tamils in Jaffna have protested against the transfer the newly appointed Medical Superintendent of Chavakachcheri Base Hospital, after he claimed that there was corruption occurring at the medical facility.

A memorial was held to honour the memory of the more than 140 Tamils who were killed in the Navaly Church Massacre on July 9, 1995, at St Peter’s Church in Navaly.

Several Tamils gathered to pay floral tributes and light candles at the same church this week. 

Attending the funeral of the late Tamil National Alliance leader, R. Sampanthan, Sri Lanka’s President Ranil Wickremesinghe commemorated his passing stressing that Sampanthan had “always said that this country cannot be divided” and instead advocated for either a federal system or greater devolution.

As Britain’s new prime minister Keir Starmer takes up office this week, we look back on his previous statements on the British Tamil community, his calls for Sri Lanka to be referred to the International Criminal Court and on justice for mass atrocities committed against the Tamil people.

On this day 29 years ago, the Sri Lankan air force dropped 13 bombs on St Peter’s Church in Navaly. More than 140 sheltering Tamils, who were encouraged by the military to seek refuge at the church, were killed on the spot.  At least 13 children were amongst the dead, with many more succumbing to injuries later as the local hospital was swamped with the wounded.