Tamil Affairs

Tamil News

Latest news from and about the homeland

The Toronto City Council unanimously passed a motion on May 22 for the city to work with the Tamil community to build a Tamil Genocide Monument in Scarborough. The motion was brought forward by Parthi Kandavel, city councillor for Scarborough Southwest, and seconded by fellow councillor Josh Matlow, representing Toronto-St. Paul’s. It requests the city to identify a potential site in a City of…

BASL members refuse German NGO offer for constitution awareness programme

The Bar Association of Sri Lanka rejected any assistance from a German NGO to develop an awareness programme on constitution making after members protested against the arrangement. 

The BASL had previously accepted the offer from Democracy Reporting International (DRI). 

Explaining the situation the BASL Chairman U.R. De Silva was quoted by the Daily Mirror as saying that DRI had "never tried to force its way on us.” 

Sri Lanka army visits adult home ‘inmates’ in Jaffna

The Sri Lankan military showed no sign of scaling back its involvement in civil life in the North-East this month, after troops paid a visit to an adult care home in Jaffna last month, where they hosted a party for the “inmates”, according to an official military website.

Sri Lankan president and PM inaugurate World Buddhist Supreme Conference

Sri Lanka’s president and prime minister inaugurated the Seventh Buddhist Summit of the World Buddhist Supreme Conference at Temple Tress in Colombo this week, as the government released a special stamp to mark the occasion.

Sri Lankan troops ‘should not be allowed’ to be UN peacekeepers – Canadian MP

Sri Lankan soldiers “should not be allowed to wear the blue helmet” of United Nations peacekeepers, said Canadian parliamentarian Gary Anandasangaree in a piece published in The Star this week.

Writing ahead of the United Nations Peacekeeping Conference taking place in Vancouver later this month, the Liberal MP said the Sri Lankan military “has a long record of rights violations”.

Clearing of LTTE cemeteries continues in preparation for Maaveerar Naal

The clearing of destroyed LTTE cemeteries continues in the North-East in the run-up to Maaveerar Naal.

Sri Lankan military does maintenance work at Jaffna school

Soldiers from the Sri Lankan army carried out repairs on the roof of a school building in Jaffna last week, as criticism over its involvement in civilian activites in the North-East continues.

Two STF intelligence officers arrested over Ariyalai murder

Two STF intelligence officers have been arrested in connection with the murder of a Tamil man in Ariyalai last month.

The intelligence officers attached to the Jaffna Pannai Special Task Force camp were arrested this morning after the weapon and vehicles believed to have been used in the murder were recovered from the camp on Wednesday.

Don Bosco Rikman, a 24-year-old Tamil fishermen from Uthayapuram in Ariyalai East was shot on October 22nd. He died in hospital from internal bleeding caused by the shooting injuries.

English school for Tamils and Sinhalese would help reconciliation, Northern Province governor tells EU delegation

A delegation of European Parliament members currently visiting Sri Lanka met with the Northern Province governor to hear his thoughts on how reconciliation could be achieved between Tamils and Sinhalese, and how the North could be developed.

The governor Reginald Cooray told the delegation that a key concern in the North was a lack of job opportunities, especially among young graduates, and said that employment opportunities must be created in order to develop the Province.

Thamilselvan remembered by TNPF

S. P. Thamilselvan, the head of the political wing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was remembered by the Tamil National People's Front on Thursday, on the tenth anniversary of his assassination by the Sri Lankan Air Force (SLAF).

TNA leader warns against not addressing national question

The leader of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) told the constitutional assembly on Wednesday, the situation for Sri Lanka would only get worse internationally if the government failed to address the national question. 

"Sri Lanka knows very well that all the problems it has faced in the international arena, particularly since 2012, is because of its failure to manfully address the National question. Things can only get worse; they cannot get any better if the same attitude remains," Sampanthan was quoted by the Daily Mirror as saying.