Tamil Affairs

Tamil News

Latest news from and about the homeland

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‘Where is the LTTE?’ Lawyer challenges terror charges against jailed Tamil rapper
  The lawyer representing detained Tamil rapper Sangeethsan Ganeskumar challenged allegations that his client sought to revive the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) during proceedings before the Jaffna Magistrate's Court this week, arguing that the material cited by police contains no reference to the organisation or its leadership. Sangeethsan, better known by his stage name…

British Tamils Forum urges UN rights chief to visit Mullivaikkal

Jun 13, 2025
The British Tamils Forum (BTF) has written to United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk urging him to visit Mullivaikkal, the site of the 2009 genocide, and Chemmani, where mass graves have been unearthed, during his forthcoming visit to Sri Lanka in June 2025.

State-backed land disputes remain key barrier to peace in North-East, warns report

Jun 13, 2025

land

Land disputes centred on access, control, and distribution remain a major challenge to peacebuilding in the North-East, according to a recent report supported by the UN Sri Lanka SDG Fund. 

The report warns that post-conflict contestations over land frequently involve state actors, including the occupying military, as well as government agencies such as the Departments of Archaeology, Wildlife, Forest, and the Mahaweli Authority.

Trump commutes sentence of major donor who illegally lobbied on behalf of Sri Lanka

Jun 13, 2025
President Trump commuted the sentence of Imaad Zuberi, a major political donor who had been sentenced to 12 years in prison for the obstruction of a federal investigation into a Trump inaugural committee donation, falsifying records and a failure to disclose and pay tax on US$5.65 million received from the Sri Lankan government to lobby in Washington to improve its image.

Vizhinjam Port opens, posing direct challenge to Colombo’s shipping role

Jun 13, 2025
India has launched the Vizhinjam International Seaport in Kerala, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurating the facility. Located at the country’s southern tip, Vizhinjam is set to enter the global shipping network and compete with existing transshipment hubs, including Colombo, Jebel Ali, and Singapore.

More gifts for Sri Lanka - Australia donates high-performance vessel

Jun 13, 2025

Australia

The Australian government has handed over a high-performance Stabicraft vessel to the Sri Lanka Coast Guard, marking the commencement of Disi Rela 2, the second phase of a joint maritime security initiative purportedly aimed at "combating illegal maritime activity".

Human skeletal remains found near Sri Lankan military camp in Jaffna

Jun 13, 2025
Human skeletal remains, including skulls, have been discovered near the Karkovalam military camp in Jaffna, prompting a police and forensic investigation

Sri Lankan police illegally occupying Tamil land in Jaffna, Divisional Secretary confirms

Jun 13, 2025
The Kopay Divisional Secretary has confirmed that the Sri Lankan police are illegally occupying private Tamil-owned lands in Jaffna district, refusing to vacate the area despite longstanding demands from landowners.

Sri Lankan police accused of misleading court over arrests at Buddhist temple protest

Jun 13, 2025
Tamil lawyers have accused the Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of the occupying Sri Lankan Police Station in Palaly of misleading the Mallakam Magistrate’s Court regarding the arrests of individuals protesting against the illegal construction of the Tissa Vihara on Tamil-owned land in Thaiyiddy.

Verugal massacre remembered 39 years on in Trincomalee

Jun 13, 2025
The 39th anniversary of the Verugal massacre was marked this week in a solemn commemoration in the Verugal-Poonagar area of Trincomalee. The event was organised by relatives of the victims, civil activists, and local community members to honour the memory of the 21 civilians brutally killed on 12 June 1986 while transporting dry food to displaced Tamils.

Tamil activists survey newly erected Buddha statue near historic Murugan Temple

Jun 12, 2025
Tamil civil society activists and members of the Batticaloa District Coordination Committee travelled to Amparai this week, where they documented the construction of a new Buddha statue near the historic Ukanthamalai Murugan Temple.
British Tamils Forum urges UN rights chief to visit Mullivaikkal
State-backed land disputes remain key barrier to peace in North-East, warns report
Trump commutes sentence of major donor who illegally lobbied on behalf of Sri Lanka
Vizhinjam Port opens, posing direct challenge to Colombo’s shipping role
More gifts for Sri Lanka - Australia donates high-performance vessel
Human skeletal remains found near Sri Lankan military camp in Jaffna
Sri Lankan police illegally occupying Tamil land in Jaffna, Divisional Secretary confirms
Sri Lankan police accused of misleading court over arrests at Buddhist temple protest
Verugal massacre remembered 39 years on in Trincomalee
Tamil activists survey newly erected Buddha statue near historic Murugan Temple
British Tamils Forum urges UN rights chief to visit Mullivaikkal
State-backed land disputes remain key barrier to peace in North-East, warns report
Trump commutes sentence of major donor who illegally lobbied on behalf of Sri Lanka
Vizhinjam Port opens, posing direct challenge to Colombo’s shipping role
More gifts for Sri Lanka - Australia donates high-performance vessel
Human skeletal remains found near Sri Lankan military camp in Jaffna
Sri Lankan police illegally occupying Tamil land in Jaffna, Divisional Secretary confirms
Sri Lankan police accused of misleading court over arrests at Buddhist temple protest
Verugal massacre remembered 39 years on in Trincomalee
Tamil activists survey newly erected Buddha statue near historic Murugan Temple