Tamil Affairs

Tamil News

Latest news from and about the homeland

Sri Lanka claimed it is committed to repealing the controversial Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), during the latest round of human rights discussions with the European Union, a move tied to its continued access to preferential trade benefits under the GSP+ scheme. At the eighth meeting of the Working Group on Governance, Rule of Law and Human Rights under the EU-Sri Lanka Joint Commission,…

Unidentified body found near Trincomalee fort

Photograph Batti News

A body of a male washed up on the bear near Trincomalee fort on Sunday, reports Uthayan and Batti News.

Ban all religious groups ‘not older than 500 years’ – Sri Lankan Minister

Minister of Construction Wimal Weerawansa has called on the government to ban all religious groups which have been in existence for less than 500 years.

Weerawansa, who is the leader of the National Freedom Front, a key partner in President Rajapaksa’s ruling coalition, said that such a ban on "sects and cults" would "end communal, religious and sectarian violence in the future", reported Ceylon Today.

"Until and unless the government takes steps to ban all those groups spreading extremism in the name of protecting the religion, this problem will not end. There are three or four main religions that people of this country have practised for at least 500 years,” Weerawansa said to Ceylon Today.

Compulsory Sinhala lessons for Tamils in North-East

Tamil civil servants will be required to learn Sinhala through a government sponsored programme, which has also been introduced in pre-schools in the North-East, according to President Mahinda Rajapaksa's office.

All newly recruited civil servants and former members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, who completed the military’s controversial rehabilitation programme, will have to attend a training programme conducted by the Rehabilitation Commissioner General's Office and National Language Training Centre.

Civil Defence Force facility opened by Gotabaya in the Vanni

Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Friday declared open a new facility for the Civil Defence Force in Manal Aaru, in the Mullaitivu district in the North-East of the island.

Rajapaksa unveiled a commemorative plaque in Sinhala and opened a Buddhist shrine, before planting a sapling of the Bhodi tree, a plant holy to Buddhists.

The new facility will also include a new pre-school and the defence secretary ceremoniously registered the first two children at the school.

Government to stop NGOs from receiving foreign funding - Divaina

The Sri Lankan government is to stop certain NGOs from receiving foreign funding, the Sinhala daily Divaina newspaper reports, citing a high ranking government source.

The funding is to be stopped for NGOs deemed to be a risk to national security, the paper added, stating that six NGOs had "received funds to launch campaigns to force the withdrawal of military from the North and bring war crime charges against the security forces."

Sinhala cricket fans racially abuse Tamil team after Hambantota defeat

A Tamil cricket team from the North-East was racially abused by Sinhalese cricket fans during a match in the south, causing the match against Gampaha to be halted, reported Global Tamil News.

Gampaha fans shouting “get out Tamil dogs" and throwing rocks and rubbish at the Tamil players who were from Valvettiththurai in Jaffna.

Sexual violence and militarisation in North-East are closely interlinked – K Guruparan

Militarisation of the North-East and sexual violence against Tamils are "closely interlinked" said Jaffna University Lecturer of Law, Kumaravadivel Guruparan, commenting on the recent release of 7 Sri Lankan navy rape suspects, accused of the rape of an 11 year old girl in Karainagar.

"It is noteworthy that the incident took place in the Karainagar Island," said Mr Guruparan to the Tamil Guardian.

"In the mid 1980s a colonial era navy camp in Karainagar was expanded and in 2003 (during the ceasefire period) 153 families were sent legal notice regarding acquisition of more than 78 acres of land. When I was carrying out some research on this in 2012 I was told by people that even those who lived within 1 1/2 km radius to the camp didn't want to live there for reasons of insecurity," he said.

"The incident is yet another reminder of the closely interlinked issues of militarisation and sexual violence," Mr Guruparan added, drawing attention to another recent rape case, where the suspect was a Sri Lankan soldier.

Sri Lankan Minister warns against 'foreign countries and NGOs'

Sri Lanka's External Affairs Minister G.L. Peiris has warned that non-governmental organisations and foreign countries were attempting to interfere in Sri Lanka and called for an uprising against those moves, reports Colombo Gazette.

Speaking in Kandy, Peiris said that certain countries were looking to take away the right of the people of Sri Lanka, adding “They created problems in those countries, took away the resources those countries had, killed their leaders and have pushed them towards an unstable future”.

Man dead after being attacked in Trincomalee

A 24 year old man died following an attack by four unidentified men in Trincomalee, Batticaloa News reported.

The attack occurred in Mavadisenai region of Batticaloa. The man who is yet to be identified was admitted to hospital, where he died, succumbing to his injuries.

A post-mortem investigation is to be carried out, said police.

53y old man found dead in Batticaloa

Photograph Ada Derana