Tamil Affairs

Tamil News

Latest news from and about the homeland

Montreal borough passes motion recognising Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day
Côte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, a borough in Montreal, has passed a motion recognising May 18 as Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day.  The motion was passed on May 5 and comes as the Tamil nation marks 16 years since the genocide at Mullivaikkal, where an estimated 169,796 people were killed by the Sri Lankan army in the final days of the armed conflict.  Tamil activist Subitha…

Tamil Nadu parties criticise Rajapaksa's invitation to Modi's swearing-in ceremony

May 21, 2014

Political parties in Tamil Nadu have criticised the decision to invite Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa to the swearing in ceremony of India's Prime Minister-designate, Narendra Modi.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister 'dismayed' at Rajapaksa invite for Modi swearing-in ceremony

May 21, 2014
The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Jayalalithaa, has expressed her dismay at the invitation of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa to the swearing in ceremony of India's Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi, stating that it has “deeply upset the people of Tamil Nadu”.

In a statement released on Thursday, Jayalalithaa, who heads India's third largest party, said,
“The entire country and indeed the entire world is aware of the various Resolutions passed in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly during the last three years, with regard to the war crimes, ethnic pogrom and genocide perpetrated against the Sri Lankan Tamil people by the Sri Lankan Army under the Rajapaksa Government in Sri Lanka during the final stages of the civil war in Sri Lanka.”

People in Jaffna have 'blood of the forces' – SL Military

May 21, 2014
After blocking off attempts by the local Tamil population in Jaffna to donate blood earlier this week, the Sri Lankan military dismissed any criticism of its actions, declaring that no organisation had given more blood to Jaffna than the armed forces.

Responding to questions from journalists in the North, Military Spokesman Brigadier Ruwan Wanigasooriya stated that the Sri Lankan troops had donated more blood than any other organisation in Jaffna, challenging anyone who had done more to come forward.

Jaffna University commemorates Mullivaikal amidst death threats

May 20, 2014

Pictures: @uthayarasashali

A remembrance event was held in the University of Jaffna the day it was reopened, after it was closed in the run up to the 5th anniversary of Mullivaikal.

Hundreds of students and faculty members packed the auditorium at the university on Wednesday morning, lighting candles in memory of those that died in the ethnic conflict.

Government must take action against those who remembered Mullivaikal massacre, says NFF

May 20, 2014
The National Freedom Front (NFF), a partner in President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s ruling coalition, urged the government to take action against members of the Tamil National Alliance who organised events to commemorate Tamils that died in May 2009, reports ColomboPage.

The TNA's actions violated the constitution as an act that could divide the country or disrupt the ethnic harmony, said the NFF spokesperson Mohamed Muzammil.

Canadian High Commissioner summoned over Victory Day boycott

May 20, 2014
The External Affairs Ministry summoned the Canadian High Commissioner, after she announced that she would not be attended the Sri Lankan government’s annual Victory Day parade on May 18, and considered it detrimental to post-war reconciliation, reports The Island.

International Federation of Journalists condemn military's intimidation of Tamil press

May 20, 2014
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today, condemned the Sri Lankan military’s blocking of roads and access to the offices of the Uthayan and Yarl Thinakkural, in Jaffna on May 18.

Sri Lanka’s Greatest War Criminal (Gotabaya) is a US Citizen: It’s Time to Hold Him Accountable

May 20, 2014
Writing in Just Security this week, Ryan Goodman, a Professor of Law and Co-Chair of the Center for Human Rights and Global Justice at New York university School of Law, member of the Department of State’s Advisory Committee on International Law and member of Council on Foreign Relations argued that the US should prosecute Sri Lankan Defence Secretary, Gotabaya Rajapaksa for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

See full opinion below.

Fear is a part of daily life for Tamils in North-East, says The Social Architects

May 20, 2014
The Social Architects in a press update on the situation in the North-East of Sri Lanka, detailed the recent arrest of an elderly woman by Sri Lanka’s Terrorist Investigation Department ( TID) and the constant fear that people in the North-East lived under when interacting with their family in the diaspora.

See full statement below.

Sri Lanka bans two more websites

May 20, 2014
The Sri Lankan government has blocked two websites known for their critical views, reports Reuters.

The two websites, SriLankanMirror.com and TheIndependent.lk, have been banned by the state-run Telecommunication Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister 'dismayed' at Rajapaksa invite for Modi swearing-in ceremony
People in Jaffna have 'blood of the forces' – SL Military
Jaffna University commemorates Mullivaikal amidst death threats
Government must take action against those who remembered Mullivaikal massacre, says NFF
Canadian High Commissioner summoned over Victory Day boycott
International Federation of Journalists condemn military's intimidation of Tamil press
Sri Lanka’s Greatest War Criminal (Gotabaya) is a US Citizen: It’s Time to Hold Him Accountable
Fear is a part of daily life for Tamils in North-East, says The Social Architects
Sri Lanka bans two more websites
Italian Tamils raise awareness of May 2009 genocide 5 years on
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister 'dismayed' at Rajapaksa invite for Modi swearing-in ceremony
People in Jaffna have 'blood of the forces' – SL Military
Jaffna University commemorates Mullivaikal amidst death threats
Government must take action against those who remembered Mullivaikal massacre, says NFF
Canadian High Commissioner summoned over Victory Day boycott
International Federation of Journalists condemn military's intimidation of Tamil press
Sri Lanka’s Greatest War Criminal (Gotabaya) is a US Citizen: It’s Time to Hold Him Accountable
Fear is a part of daily life for Tamils in North-East, says The Social Architects
Sri Lanka bans two more websites
Italian Tamils raise awareness of May 2009 genocide 5 years on