Tamil Affairs

Tamil News

Latest news from and about the homeland

A protest march was held last month opposing limestone excavation, mineral sand mining and a proposed wind power project across the villages of Veravil, Valaipadu, Ponnaveli and Kiranchi, in the Poonakary Divisional Secretariat division of Kilinochchi. The demonstration was organised against plans to establish wind power stations and to carry out mineral sand and limestone extraction in the…

Sri Lankan navy arrest 11 Tamil Nadu fishermen

Eleven Tamil Nadu fishermen were arrested yesterday by Sri Lankan navy personnel for allegedly poaching fish. 

Mannar residents accuse military of dumping trash in released land

Residents in Mannar accused Sri Lankan military personnel of dumping trash in private land which was recently released. 

United States urges Sri Lanka to ensure 'timely action'

The United States urged Sri Lanka to ensure 'time action' on justice, accountability and reconciliation, responding to the passing of a co-sponsored resolution at the UN Human Rights Council this week. 

"We welcome #SriLanka’s renewed commitment to #reconciliation, #justice, and #accountability.  Timely action to address these issues will secure a peaceful and prosperous future for all Sri Lankans," the US State Department's Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs tweeted. 

The resolution was passed amid a number of member states expressing disappointment over Sri Lanka's failure to make sufficient progress over the past four years. 

Army official arrested over drugs in Vavuniya

A Sri Lankan army official was arrested last Saturday over being in possession of drugs for supply. 

Key Tamil diaspora orgs urge acceleration of resolution implementation

<p><img alt src="/sites/default/files/images/icons/UNHRC.jpeg"></p> <p>Six key Tamil diaspora organisations said they were disappointed by the failure to secure a time bound pathway of implementation of Sri Lanka's co-sponsored UN Human Rights Council resolution, ensuring accelerated progress.&nbsp;</p>

Jaffna uni students demand Sri Lanka be referred to ICC for genocide

Students at the University of Jaffna joined families of the disappeared last Saturday to demand Sri Lanka be referred to the International Criminal Court for committing a genocide against the Tamil people. 

Students condemned the UN Human Rights Council's decision to grant an extension to the government to implement the co-sponsored resolution. 

The protest began in front of the university and ended at the municipality council sports grounds.

2 arrested over Mullaitivu journalist robbery

Two men have been arrested on Sunday over the robbery which took place at the home of a prominent Mullaitivu journalist, Kumanan. 

Sumanthiran warns of taking Sri Lanka to International Criminal Court

Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliament M A Sumanthiran warned that unless Sri Lanka agrees to include international judges in a accountability mechanism, his party would "take steps to move Sri Lanka to the International Criminal Court".

Speaking to Sri Lanka’s parliament earlier today, Sumanthiran said "the state of Sri Lanka cannot be an independent arbiter".

"If the government of Sri Lanka does not adhere to this commitment of including independent foreign judges in the judicial mechanism, then we the Tamil people will be left with no alternative but to move towards and entirely international judicial mechanism," he said.

TNPF calls for international criminal tribunal in Sri Lanka

The leader of the Tamil National Peoples’ Front (TNPF) called for Sri Lanka to be referred to the International Criminal Court (ICC) or the setting up of an ad hoc international criminal tribunal, in order to to obtain justice for Tamil victims, in an address to the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) this week.

Gajen Ponnambalam said that the OISL report had found “a domestic accountability mechanism would not suffice due to the lack of capacity owing to the   distortion and corruption of the security sector and judicial system in Sri Lanka”.

International NGOs reiterate calls for international accountability in Sri Lanka

Several international NGOs have criticised Sri Lanka’s unwillingness to hold war criminals to account through an accountability mechanism with international involvement, as a resolution was passed giving the government two more years to do so this week.