Tamil Affairs

Tamil News

Latest news from and about the homeland

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Amnesty International demands immediate release of detained Tamil artist
Amnesty International has called for the release of detained Tamil rapper Sangeethan Ganeshkumar and renewed demands for the repeal of Sri Lanka's Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), warning that the legislation continues to facilitate arbitrary detention and human rights abuses. In a statement issued this week, the international rights organisation expressed concern over the continued use of…

South African delegation visits Sri Lanka

Feb 24, 2015
A South African delegation visited Sri Lanka this week, discussing cooperation in areas such as defence, trade and the zoological gardens, as well as sharing the country's experience of reconciliation.

The delegation is led by South Africa’s deputy minister for International Relations and Cooperation, Nomaindia Mfeketo.

The countries initiated the Declaration of Intent in the Field of Sustainable Tourism Development and the Memorandum of Understanding- between the National Zoological Gardens of South Africa and Department of National Zoological Gardens of Sri Lanka, the Defence Ministry's website, reported.

UK Tamils demonstrate in solidarity with Jaffna protesters

Feb 24, 2015
Photographs Tamil Guardian

Tamils in London held a demonstration on Wednesday in solidarity with Tamils in Jaffna, who a few hours before had come out in their thousands to call for the immediate release of the UN inquiry into mass atrocities against the Tamil people and reject a domestic Sri Lankan inquiry as a means of delivering justice.

Eastern province teachers demand schools taken over by navy returned

Feb 23, 2015
The Eastern Province Tamil Teachers' Association (EPTTA) has demanded the Sri Lankan navy return two schools that were seized and turned into navy camps since 2006, reports Ceylon Today.

S Jeyarajah, the EPTTA General Secretary, met with the Sri Lankan State Minister for Education Radhakrishnan at his Colombo office and told of how the Sampur Maha Vidiyalayam and Sri Murugan Vidiyalayam in Muttur have been taken over by the Sri Lankan security forces.

Tamil Nadu youth march in solidarity with Eelam Tamils

Feb 23, 2015
 

Almost 100 youth in Tamil Nadu held a demonstration expressing solidarity with protestors in Jaffna, demanding the release of the report from the United Nations inquiry into mass atrocities committed against Tamils.

Holding placards that said placards reading “#TamilLivesMatter” and “Justice delayed is justice denied”, the protestors gathered in front of the UNICEF office in Chennai. They handed in a petition demanding an immediate release of the inquiry findings, as well as a full investigation into genocide and a referendum to determine the Tamils people's right to self-determination.

The delay in releasing the report “protracts the genocide of the Tamil people” said V Prabhakaran of the Tamil Youths and Students Federation. “This delay only encourages the ethnic cleansing that is taking place today,” he told the Tamil Guardian.

“The report must be released immediately.”

World Bank pledges continued support for Sri Lanka

Feb 23, 2015

The World Bank reaffirmed its commitment to support Sri Lanka to help “shape and implement policies”, to reduce poverty and promoting sustainable growth.

World Bank Vice President for the South Asia Region Annette Dixon, met with President Maithripala Sirisena, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake during her visit to Colombo, according to a press release published on Tuesday.

“The Government has laid out an ambitious reform agenda aimed at improving governance, transparency and accountability and establishing strong institutions for that purpose within its first 100 days. This is no small feat and the Bank stands ready to provide support to the government to help achieve these goals,” Ms Dixon said as she concluded her first visit to Sri Lanka.

Sri Lankan PM says NPC's call for genocide investigation is 'racist'

Feb 23, 2015
Sri Lanka's prime minister, Ranil Wickremasinghe, said the resolution passed by the Northern Provincial Council (NPC) earlier this month calling for an investigation into genocide committed by successive governments against the Tamil people was "racist" and that the UN Human Rights Council's decision to defer the publication of a UN report into mass atrocities against the Tamil people was intended as a rebuke to the NPC resolution.

Addressing the Sinhala public at rally in Kurunegala this week, Mr Wickremasinghe said he was on a path to eradicate racism but faced obstacles.

"In this journey to eradicate racism two groups stand in opposition," he said, pointing to the NPC resolution and the Sinhala print media supportive of the former president Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Sri Lanka will never deliver true justice to Tamils, NPC councillor tells UN Human Rights Chief

Feb 22, 2015
The Northern Provincial Councillor, M K Shivajilingham, told the UN High Commissioner that Tamils "do not believe Sri Lanka will ever deliver true justice to the Tamils", stating that "instead, [Sri Lanka] will use the time and space to hoodwink the International Community again, and try to derail the UN process of accountability and justice to the Tamils."

In a letter to High Commissioner Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, dated February 23, Mr Shivajilingham expressed disappointment over the UN Human Rights Council's decision to delay the publishing of the UN inquiry report into mass atrocities committed against the Tamil people, and urged the UNHRC to "set clear requirements to measure the progress of commitment of Sri Lanka."

"If Sri Lanka has genuine intention of cooperating with the UN, and genuinely interested in accountability, justice and permanent political solution, it must show progress to the International Community and to the UN, before September on all fronts.  The Tamil people hope that the International Community obtains unambiguous commitment from Sri Lanka to fulfill these," Mr Shivajilingham wrote, outlining key issues that needed to be urgently addressed.

Dead body of Tamil teenage girl found with hands tied in Jaffna

Feb 22, 2015
The body of a 19 year old girl with her hands tied behind her back has been found in a well in Jaffna, reports Uthayan.

The girl, identified as Vipoosika Uthayakumar, had left her home on Saturday to attend teaching at a private college in Jaffna. Her body was later discovered in a well close to her home in Oorkavathurai, Naranthanai.

The police are reportedly investigating the incident.

30-35,000 bodies in Viswamadu alone says Bishop of Mannar

Feb 22, 2015
The Bishop of Mannar, Rayappu Joseph, said that 30,000 - 35,000 bodies were found in Viswamadu alone during the final stages of the armed conflict.

"Two weeks ago I learned there were about 30,000 to 35,000 dead bodies during the final armed conflict near Viswamadu in the North," the Bishop told BBC Tamil on Monday. "I learnt this from the circle of officers who went there to conduct post-mortems".

Reiterating his previous statement that 146,679 Tamils were left unaccounted for from the final 8 months of the armed conflict, the Bishop said that the massacre of Tamils on this level was also a genocide and that the Sri Lankan state's actions to take away the Tamil people's land, culture, language, homes and political rights amounted to a "structural genocide".

Unanimous Tamil support for Jaffna uni protest calling for release of UN report and rejecting domestic inquiry

Feb 22, 2015
The Jaffna university's planned protest on Tuesday, calling for the UN report into mass atrocities committed against the Tamil people to be released without delay and rejecting any notion of a domestic inquiry, has been unanimously endorsed by the Tamil people in the North-East and abroad.

Both main Tamil parties, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and the Tamil National People's Front (TNPF), along side the Tamil Civil Society Forum and the Jaffna Press Club have welcomed the protest and demands, pledging their whole-hearted support. Tamil diaspora groups have planned similar protests and awareness projects on social media platforms to stand in solidarity with the demands of Tamils in the North-East.

UK Tamils demonstrate in solidarity with Jaffna protesters
Eastern province teachers demand schools taken over by navy returned
Tamil Nadu youth march in solidarity with Eelam Tamils
World Bank pledges continued support for Sri Lanka
Sri Lankan PM says NPC's call for genocide investigation is 'racist'
Sri Lanka will never deliver true justice to Tamils, NPC councillor tells UN Human Rights Chief
Dead body of Tamil teenage girl found with hands tied in Jaffna
30-35,000 bodies in Viswamadu alone says Bishop of Mannar
Unanimous Tamil support for Jaffna uni protest calling for release of UN report and rejecting domestic inquiry
British Tamil university students voice support for Jaffna protest
UK Tamils demonstrate in solidarity with Jaffna protesters
Eastern province teachers demand schools taken over by navy returned
Tamil Nadu youth march in solidarity with Eelam Tamils
World Bank pledges continued support for Sri Lanka
Sri Lankan PM says NPC's call for genocide investigation is 'racist'
Sri Lanka will never deliver true justice to Tamils, NPC councillor tells UN Human Rights Chief
Dead body of Tamil teenage girl found with hands tied in Jaffna
30-35,000 bodies in Viswamadu alone says Bishop of Mannar
Unanimous Tamil support for Jaffna uni protest calling for release of UN report and rejecting domestic inquiry
British Tamil university students voice support for Jaffna protest