A Tamil journalist who had attended a public meeting chaired by Sri Lanka’s Fisheries Minister and government-aligned paramilitary leader Douglas Devananda was threatened by his security for filming an argument between residents and the minister. The incident took place in Manduvil area when journalist Rajaiah Udayakumar was attending a public meeting that was open to the press. During the meeting, there had been a disagreement and residents were in a heated exchange with Devananda. Udayakumar had been recording at the time, however, he was confronted by the minister’s security who prevented...
Tamil fishermen from Mullaitivu have criticised Sri Lanka's Fisheries Miniser Douglas Devananda , and leader of the notrious government-aligned EPDP paramilitary group, for failing to prevent Indian fishermen from poaching in Sri Lankan waters. During a district committee meeting, chaired by the fisheries minister, they complained that Indian fishermen were employing illegal fishing methods, including light course fishing and unauthorized nets. Representatives of the fishermen's association and the District Director of the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources stressed that this was...
Tamils across the North-East commemorated Annai Poopathy on Friday to mark 36 years since she fasted unto death in protest of the atrocities committed by the Indian Peace Keeping Forces (IPKF).
Tamil Guardian sat down with national winners of the 2024 Canadian Wrestling Championships, Adsaya and Aaharen Piranavan, accompanied by their parents, to discuss their passion for martial arts, healthy sibling rivalries, and the challenges immigrant parents face when trying to provide a better life for their children.
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan spoke with Sagala Ratnayake, Sri Lanka’s national security advisor, on US “support to Sri Lanka’s security and sovereignty” earlier this month, as ties between the two governments continue to grow. The White House in its readout of the telephone conversation said the discussion “covered areas of bilateral engagement including U.S. support to Sri Lanka’s security and sovereignty, Sri Lanka’s ongoing efforts to complete the fiscal, monetary, and governance elements of its IMF program, and future opportunities for cooperation”. “National Security...
Chief Delegate of the Delegation of German Industry and Commerce in Sri Lanka, Marie Antonia von Schönburg said that Sri Lanka’s lack of transparency and consistency “are significant hurdles in attracting and retaining foreign investments in Sri Lanka.” In an interview with the Daily Mirror, this week, she said the “sudden policy changes such as the increase in VAT at short notice, make it difficult for businesses to plan ahead. This affects not only foreign but also local businesses. Long-term, transparent policies are essential for fostering a conducive investment environment. Without them...
Speaking to the media, Colombo Archbishop Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith claimed he was tricked by ousted former President, and accused war criminal, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, into extending support for his candidacy in 2019 under the promise that he would investigate the Easter Sunday Bombings, which claimed the lives of over 250 individuals. The cardinal's support for the Sinhala chauvanist candidate came despite a report by Sri Lanka's Parliamentary Select Committee, released a few months after the attack, which maintained that Sri Lanka's security forces may have allowed the bombings to proceed in...
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi is set to arrive in Sri Lanka on a one-day official visit to inaugurate an Iranian-funded Uma Oya multipurpose development project with 120MW hydropower generation capacity. Valued at $529 million, the Uma Oya project was originally scheduled to be completed in 2015, but was suspended once and then later faced delays due to sanctions on Iran and a number of other issues, including overdue payments and Sri Lanka deciding to purchase crude oil from countries other than Iran, upon which Sri Lanka was almost fully reliant on for supplies. The Uma Oya project...
On 5 April, the UK has updated its travel advisory for Sri Lanka to no longer include mention of shortages of food, fuel and medicine. Sri Lanka’s President’s Media Division reports notes that, “the Sri Lankan High Commission in London has consistently advocated to British authorities for the removal of negative information from previous advisories. This effort aims to ensure tourists have a clear understanding of Sri Lanka’s current progress”. This statement comes as Sri Lanka’s security forces have expanded their involvement in the island’s tourism sector. Economy Next reported that these...
Five Eelam Tamil children stranded on the remote island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean since October 2021 have won a case in the British Supreme Court to be protected from harm in the same way as British children. The supreme court of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), has ruled in favour of some of the Tamil asylum seekers on the island including the five children, and found that the key protections in the UK’s Children Act apply to the children on the island according to the latest update published in the Guardian . Judge Margaret Obi, acting judge of Diego Garcia’s supreme...