Tamil Affairs

Tamil News

Latest news from and about the homeland

""
  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…

OHCHR releases fact sheets on OISL Report

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights released seven “fact sheets” for the report of the OHCHR’s Investigation on Sri Lanka. The documents briefly summarize key parts of the many chapters of the report and highlight important findings.

National government needed to withstand foreign pressure – SL minister

Sri Lanka’s University Education and Highways Minister Lakshman Kiriella said a united national government with the two major parties was needed in order to withstand pressure from foreign governments.

UN Working Group on Enforced Disappearances to visit Sri Lanka

The UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances will visit Sri Lanka next week, at the invitation of the Sri Lankan government.

A statement by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights announced that the group will be on an official visit from the 9th til the 18th of November.

Sri Lanka PM promised 32 Tamil political prisoners to be released on Monday

32 Tamil political prisoners will be released on November 9th, leader of the opposition and TNA leader, R. Sampanthan has said.

Mr Sampanthan said that the Sri Lankan Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, had reassured him that the 32 would be released on the 9th, with a further 30 to be released before the 20th and another 48 to be released pending investigation.

I prevented Gota from being arrested says Sri Lanka's Justice Minister

Sri Lanka’s Justice Minister Wijeyasadasa Rajapakshe told Sir Lanka’s parliament that he had prevented former Defence Secretary Gotabaya from being arrested.

Speaking on the adjournment on a debate of an illegal floating armoury that was linked to Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the Justice Minister, said,

Investigate Tamil journalist murders and abductions - NPC resolution

The Northern Provincial Council has called for the Sri Lankan government to open immediate investigations into the murder and assaulting of journalists across the North-East.

In a resolution passed on Thursday, the Council called upon Sri Lanka's Minister of Justice, Minister of Law and Order and the Attorney General to launch immediate inquiries into the murders of Tamil journalists in the North-East, as well as violent attacks against others.

Army attempts to legalise landgrab in Mannar village

The Sri Lankan Army is attempting to make its occupation of over 3000 acres of land in Mannar, permanent.

3,524 acres of Tamil owned-land in the village of Sannar was seized by the army during the Rajapaksa regime.

Reports from the area claim that the occupying army are attempting to gain legal rights over the land for permanent military use.

Villagers expressed their disappointment that instead of Tamil land being returned to the rightful owners, landgrabs continued under the new government.

Tamil political prisoners declare intention to fast unto death unless granted amnesty

Tamil political prisoners have announced their intention to fast unto death again unless they are granted amnesty.

Calling on the Sri Lankan president to secure their release before November 7th as promised in a letter, the prisoners said that unless a general amnesty was granted they would resume their hunger strike and refuse to call it off for any other reasons.

The prisoners are quoted in Ceylon Today as saying to their relatives,

Work of Tamil judges in Sri Lanka often compromised by fear of consequences

Tamil judges are often too intimidated to pass the right judgements, the Chief Minister of the Northern Province has said.

Meeting with the Japanese ambassador, Kenichi Suganuma on Wednesday, Mr Wigneswaran said that a domestic accountability mechanism would be of no good to victims of atrocities, and that unbiased international judges would be crucial to the process.

All cases in Chavakachcheri court to be conducted in Tamil

A district court in Jaffna has announced that from January 2016 all cases will be conducted in Tamil.

District judge Srinthi Nanthasekaran told visiting Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe that despite the apparent recruitment of 600 Tamil police officers, police in the North did not conduct any cases in Tamil.

Testimonies were not recorded in Tamil, she said.