Three Eelam Tamils, including a boy, have fled to Tamil Nadu, undertaking a treacherous journey by boat from Batticaloa over the rising cost of living and ongoing economic crisis in Sri Lanka. The two men and child were found seeking shelter from the sun at the sandbanks near Dhanushkodi when they were spotted by patrol boats and taken inland. The authorities have handed the family to the police who will begin investigations. The trio had told authorities that they were undergoing economic hardships due to the rising cost of living, lack of livelihood and dwindling incomes. Due to the...
A Sri Lankan oversight committee on ‘national security’ has issued a directive to seize land for a Buddhist shrine in Jaffna, which local Tamil residents have opposed.
Tea plantation workers in the island's hill country, a majority of whom are Malayaga Tamils staged a token strike demanding that their daily wage be increased to Rs.1700 ($5.67 USD) in keeping with the rising cost of living. They accused the tea companies of ignoring a directive from the Sri Lankan president who assured that their daily wage would be increased to Rs.1700 per day. The protest was organized by the Ceylon Workers Congress along with the support of several other trade unions. Workers hoisted black flags at the townships of Nuwara Eliya, Hatton, Dickoya, Bogawantalawa, Maskeliya,...
Services were held to mark 16 years since the assassination of Father Xavier Karunaratnam who was killed in a claymore attack by Sri Lanka's Deep Penetration Unit. On April 20, 2008, Father Karunaratnam's vehicle was attacked by a command-detonated landmine while it was being towed after breaking down on Father Karunaratnam's journey home following Sunday Mass. Father Karunaratnam, was seated in the driver seat steering the vehicle when shrapnel hit his head, causing brain injuries. He died on the spot. The prayer services were held at the Annai Velankanni Church. Several devotees gathered...
Acting on a complaint lodged by the Governor of the Northern Province P.S.M. Charles, the editor-in-chief of the Valampuri Tamil newspaper was interrogated for several hours by Jaffna police over an article that appeared on March 18th. The complaint was reportedly over an editorial titled “An urgent note for the Northern Province Governor” which appeared in the publication on March 18th. The editor-in-chief N.Vijayasundaram was summoned to appear before the Jaffna police where he was interrogated for several hours and asked to make a formal statement. The complaint was however registered...
The US Navy, the US Marine Corps, and the Sri Lankan Navy will conduct a bilateral maritime joint exercise from Monday off the coast of Trincomalee where the government's notorious naval complex is located.
Today marks 38 years since Sri Lankan soldiers destroyed the chariot of the ancient Selva Channithy Murugan Temple in Thondaimaanaaru, one of the largest Hindu chariots in the world at the time.
As India, the world’s largest democracy, heads to the polls, much focus has been on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its campaign in Tamil Nadu – a powerhouse state of more than 70 million Tamils. The North Indian party has been intensely campaigning as it looks to expand southwards into an area where it currently holds no seats. Though projections suggest an increase in vote share, it is unlikely to translate into more than a handful of seats - if any. Few in the region see the party as being able to commit to or foster the Tamil people and their interests. New Delhi’s policy on Sri Lanka and its lack of support for Eelam Tamils just a stone’s throw away, demonstrates exactly why.
In a tweet posted by the Russian Embassy, the Russian Embassy in Colombo denied any involvement in the recruitment of Sri Lankan military members adding it had “no information about the participation of Sri Lankan nationals in the Ukraining conflict on the Russian side, nor data regarding possible numbers.” The mission went on to say that it was not aware of local recruiting agencies that hires individuals to join such activities while deceiving them about the true nature of these jobs. The tweet was posted in response to media reports about the death of Sri Lankan nationals engaged in the...
Sri Lanka’s discussion with international bondholders to restructure more than USD 12 billion in debt hit a snag after it rejected two of the conditions, putting at risk the critical International Monetary Fund support which has been a lifeline to Sri Lanka since the onset of the economic crisis in 2022. Some of the proposal's "baseline" assessments and a lack of a contingency option in the case of continued economic weakness were the two main reasons the deal was not agreed, the government said in a statement. The full statement can be found here . Sri Lanka has already struck a deal with...