Easter mass in a church in Trincomalee (Picture: Tamil Guardian) Tamil Christians across the Northeast celebrated Easter amidst continuing militarisation and intensifying oppression. Easter masses were held across the Tamil homeland, with thousands of Tamils attending churches of all Christian denominations. “The turnout at churches was good, considering the threatening environment that has once again engulfed the Tamil homeland,” a source from the Tamil Christian community, speaking on conditions of anonymity, told the Tamil Guardian. “Militarisation is stifling normal civilian life. On...
An IT teacher in Jaffna was arrested by the Terrorist Investigation Department on Saturday, accused of “preparing posters, leaflets and documents for reviving the LTTE”, Hiru News reported. The man, said to be a former member of the LTTE, worked in Maanipay and his computers and laptops have been taken for investigation, said police spokesperson Ajith Rohana.
Four months after the last boat from Sri Lanka carrying potential refugees arrived in Australia, the country’s Immigration Minister Scott Morrison has expressed Australia’s gratitude to Sri Lanka for acting to curb “illegal” boat arrivals, reported The Australian . Speaking at a joint Sri Lanka-Australia security conference on transnational crime in Canberra, attended by representatives of the Defence, army, navy and customs of both countries, Morrison said that the relationship between the countries could be broadened. “[I]n just over six months, we have ensured that we are stopping the boats and we are being true to our promises, we are doing exactly what we said we would do and it is having exactly the effect we said it would have.” “We must apply the same focus and co-operation that we have achieved on people-smuggling to the broader challenge of transnational crime,” the minister said.
A South Korean envoy, after visiting Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa, noted ‘tremendous’ post-conflict progress , reports ColomboPage . The South-Korean envoy further commended the Sri Lankan government on establishing a Presidential Commission on Missing Persons, and emphasised its commitment to maintain strong bilateral relations with Sri Lanka. “We will do our best to help your government develop,” said the South Korean special envoy.
Tamil people in Sri Lanka do not enjoy the same rights and benefits that the Sinhalese people on the island have, said Eastern Provincial Councillor M Rajeswaran, according to the Uthayan . Speaking at an event marking Chiththirai Thirunaal, the TNA councillor said that his party will not “mortgage” out Tamils for minimal concessions and [the government’s] development “illusion”, but will continue to tirelessly fight for the political rights of the Tamil people.
Over 80 Canadian Tamil organisations have come together to create a common position on Eelam Tamil activism, while rejecting the proscription of diaspora organisations and individuals by the Sri Lankan government. The Tamil Community General Assembly, made up of community and political organisations, unanimously adopted a document, outlining 34 key points regarding Eelam Tamil political activism. The document called on the international community to recognise Eelam Tamil nationhood, saying that the Sri Lankan government was continuing a “systematic and accelerated process of genocide” in the Tamil homeland and that an internationally supported transitional administration should be implemented to halt the genocide.
; (Pictures: KUTS) Kingston University Tamil Society held the first ‘Breaking the Silence’ event of 2014 earlier this month. Tamil students from the university organised an exhibition at the main campus of the university in south London detailing aspects of the genocide and war crimes that occurred during the armed conflict. Award-winning documentary “No Fire Zone” was also played to students and faculty members at the university. Breaking the Silence is a project to raise awareness about Tamil rights issues, organised by Tamil student societies in universities across London, for over 5 years...
Former LTTE cadres in Kokkillai, Kokkuthoduvaai and Karunaaddukeni in Mullaitivu district were rounded up by soldiers and warned against taking part in terrorist activities, the Uthayan reported. Many parents of former cadres demanded to stay with their children, when military vehicles arrived at 9am on Sunday to take the former cadres away. The day before, soldiers had visited houses of former LTTE cadre, instructing them to attend the meeting. The former cadre were subsequently released in the afternoon along with their parents after being handed a saaram (sarong), however the incident has left local residents in fear.
Photograph @tamilvan Farmers from Iraniamadu protested on Sunday against plans to divert water from the Iranaimadu Tank, towards Jaffna at Kilinochchi. With water levels already low, plans of diverting the water has left farmers in Iranaimadu concerned for their livelihoods. The one day hunger strike by Iranaimadu Farmers Association, a coalition of 22 farmers' organisations, was actively supported by a number of political figures, including Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, S. Kajendran and V. Manivannan of the Tamil National People's Front (TNPF), and the TNA Northern Provincial Council Education...
; (Pictures: KUTS) Kingston University Tamil Society held the first ‘Breaking the Silence’ event of 2014 earlier this month. Tamil students from the university organised an exhibition at the main campus of the university in south London detailing aspects of the genocide and war crimes that occurred during the armed conflict. [ more ]