A detailed account outlines the 1958 anti-Tamil violence in Sri Lanka, tracing its escalation, key incidents, and widespread displacement amid nationwide unrest

Notorious racist Sinhala Buddhist monk Ampitiye Sumanarathana has pledged his support to Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake following a meeting in Batticaloa earlier this month, announcing that he would distance himself from what he termed the "Rajapaksa Nikaya".

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay made his maiden official visit to New Delhi on Wednesday, holding meetings with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, whilst raising issues ranging from the arrest of Tamil Nadu fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy to disputes over the Cauvery river and the status of Tamil cultural traditions at official state functions.

Three Tamils, including singer Kokulan, the son of late musician S.G. Santhan, have been summoned to the occupying Sri Lankan police station in Kopay to provide statements, after the security forces abruptly halted a song performance midway at a musical event held in Urumpirai, Jaffna.

 

Students and activists at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in New Delhi observed Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day on 18 May, joining Tamils across the world in remembering the tens of thousands massacred by the Sri Lankan state.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to secure the release of Indian fishermen detained in Sri Lanka and their seized boats

 

Tamil Americans in North Carolina gathered in Cary earlier this month to commemorate Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day and honour the memory of the tens of thousands of Tamils killed during the armed conflict in the Tamil homeland.

Tamil Americans in the Washington, D.C. area marked the 17th anniversary of the Mullivaikkal genocide on 17 May with an interfaith memorial event and planted a memorial tree dedicated to Tamil lives lost during the armed conflict.

A senior Sinhala Buddhist monk accused of raping and sexually abusing a minor girl over a period of several years has been released on bail, despite mounting scrutiny over the handling of the investigation and allegations of delays by Sri Lankan police in taking action.

An exhibition documenting allegations of genocide, ongoing repression and human rights violations against Eelam Tamils was held inside Australia’s Parliament House during Tamil Genocide Remembrance Week, bringing renewed attention to the continuing plight of Tamils in the North-East homeland.

^{Photograph: Virakesari}

A 50-year-old Tamil father of four has died while in Sri Lankan police custody in Batticaloa district, with relatives alleging that he was assaulted by police officers prior to his death.