Amnesty international has urged the Sri Lankan government to immediately desist from using the Prevention Against Terrorism Act (PTA) following the arrests of four individuals who were charged in connection with the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings on 18 May 2023. Mohamed Asfer Mohamed Anas, Mohamed Jusair Abdul Hameed Jabir, Mohamed Azeez Abu Bakr Siddique, and Rawutar Naina Asnar Marrikar were arrested by the Sri Lankan Police for charges under the Penal Code and the PTA in relation to the bombings which killed over 250 people and injured more than 500 others on 21 April 2019. The Police has...
Photograph: A Sinhalese mob beats a Tamil passenger after pulling him out of his car. 1958. (Courtesy Victor Ivan) On 27 May 1958, the Sri Lankan state declared a state of emergency after Sinhala mobs had began attacking, raping and murdering Tamils across the island on 22 May 1958. The series of violence was to become another in a series of deadly anti-Tamil pogroms. Estimates range from between 300 and 1,500 Tamils murdered in the days of violence which resulted in many more injured and the arson, looting and destruction of Tamil homes and businesses. The pogrom took place just two years...
Tamils in Toronto gathered on May 18 to mark the 14th anniversary since the Mulivaikkal massacre, recently declared Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day in Canada. Hundreds of Tamils gathered at Albert Campbell Square in Scarborough, Ontario, to pay their respect to the lives lost. The commemorations were organized by the National Council of Canadian Tamils (NCCT) and Tamil Youth Organization Canada (TYO). Participants were served Kanji to remember the lives lost in the Mulivaikkal massacre. Several politicians attended the event, with some speaking to the crowd marking Tamil Genocide Remembrance...
The nine Tamil National People's Front (TNPF) members, including lawyer Kanagaratnam Sugash, were released on bail today after the were arrested for protesting the illegal construction of a Buddhist temple in Thaiyiddy, Jaffna. TNPF MP Selvarajah Kajendren was arrested alongside them but was released on the spot while the others were taken into police custody by Palaly police. The protesters were demanding the immediate removal of the Tissa Rajamaha Vihara which was built illegally and on occupied land. 12 acres of land surrounding the temple are owned by 14 farming families but are currently...
Tetley and Lipton among other major tea manufacturers are investigating the working conditions on tea plantations in Sri Lanka following a Guardian investigation which revealed that workers were unable to pay for food and were living in unsanitary conditions. The investigation also revealed that estate owners provided workers with no support during the island's economic crisis. Workers reported that supervisors denied them pay. Tea pickers have stated that they have had to skip meals and send their children to work to compensate for their inadequate earnings. Fairtrade and the Rainforest...
Elliot Colburn, MP for Carshalton and Wallington and the Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Tamils (APPGT) has urged the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to investigate the arrest of TNPF MP Selvarajah Kajendren. As Chair of the APPG for Tamils, I am deeply concerned about the reports of Tamil MP, Mr Kajendran, being subjected to brute force and arrest by Sri Lankan Police. I urge the FCDO to investigate and raise with Sri Lankan officials. — Elliot Colburn MP (@ElliotColburn) May 23, 2023 Kajendren was arrested earlier today alongisde eight other TNPF...
Photograph courtesy of Virakesari Ten people, including Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) MP Selvarajah Kajendren were arrested earlier today as they protested against the illegal construction of a Buddhist temple in Thaiyiddy, Jaffna.
On 18 May, Canadian politicians across all spectrums marked the newly recognized ‘Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day' and renewed calls for accountability.
Photograph: Canadian High Commissioner for Canada in Sri Lanka and Maldives Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister Ali Sabry summoned Canadian High Commissioner Eric Walsh over the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's statement on Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day. In a statement, Sri Lanka's Foreign Ministry said that Trudeau's statement was "politically motivated" and "was issued for domestic political consumption in Canada." On May 18, Trudeau issued a statement marking Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day and commemorating the tens of thousands of Tamils massacred at the hands of the Sri Lankan state...
Proud to stand with the Tamil people. pic.twitter.com/6yILzKkxMO — Rep. Wiley Nickel (@RepWileyNickel) May 19, 2023 On the 14 th anniversary of the Mullivaikkal genocide, US Congressman, Wiley Nickel, has released a statement acknowledging the Tamil genocide and reaffirming his commitment to stand by the Tamils in their fight for justice. In his statement, he noted that he was the first elected official in the United States to publicly acknowledge the Tamil genocide. He also noted that he co-sponsored a resolution calling for a referendum for Eelam Tamils to be “democratically and equitably...