Tamil Affairs

Tamil News

Latest news from and about the homeland

Jaffna and Palaly protests mark 36 years since Valikamam North displacement
Displaced residents of the Valikamam North region of Jaffna held protests on Monday, in front of the Jaffna District Secretariat and near Palaly Junction, marking 36 years since their forced displacement and demanding the right to return and resettle in their lands. The people of Valikamam North were displaced from their homeland on 15 June 1990 by the Sri Lankan military. Thirty-six years on…

We have real concerns in Sri Lanka - UK FCO Minister Hugo Swire

Apr 13, 2014
Writing in Conservative Home on the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Glasgow this year, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Minister, Hugo Swire, said the UK had "real concerns" about Sri Lanka, the Commonwealth Chair.

Stressing the importance of upholding Commonwealth values, Mr. Swire wrote,

Journalist beaten with iron bars in Jaffna

Apr 13, 2014


An independent journalist who wrote for the Tamil daily newspapers, Virakesari and Thinakurral, was attacked by two unidentified men in Jaffna on Monday, reports Global Tamils News and Uthayan.

Canada suspends over $10m Commonwealth funding over Sri Lanka as chair

Apr 13, 2014
Canada is suspending over $10 million funding of the Commonwealth Secretariat over on-going human rights concerns in Sri Lanka, condemning Sri Lanka's role as Commonwealth chair.

In a statement announcing the funding cut, Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said the country would be reallocating its funding for the next two years, so long as Sri Lanka remained chair.

"We can no longer justify providing additional funding to an organization that turns a blind eye to human rights abuses, anti-democratic behaviour and religious intolerance in its member states", said Mr. Baird.

Samarasinghe: Gopi incident 'clear evidence' of need for troops in North

Apr 12, 2014
A day after Sri Lankan security forces shot dead three Tamil men, who they allege were attempting to re-launch an armed struggle, the country's special envoy for human rights, Mahinda Samarasinghe, claimed the incident was "clear evidence" of the need for military in the North.

According to the PTI Minister Samarasinghe told Buddhist monks in Kandy on Saturday,
"We were asked and criticised about the presence of the military in the north and the need to scale down its presence by the international governments at the Geneva UN Human Rights Council...We explained to them the need to keep the military going as it was a decision for a sovereign government to take in view of the national security needs,"
"Yesterday's incident was clear evidence of that," he added.

3 Tamils shot dead by military buried in Anuradhapura, close family remain detained

Apr 12, 2014
The bodies of three Tamil men shot dead by the Sri Lankan military on Friday who claimed the men were attempting to re-launch an armed struggle, were buried in Anuradhapura on Saturday, reports Daily Mirror.

Sinhala radio show accuses Tamil diaspora of illegal financial deals

Apr 12, 2014
A popular radio show on the Sinhala radio station 'Neth FM', accused the Tamil diaspora on Friday of "manipulating the law and the prison system of Sri Lanka using remnants of LTTE", claiming to reveal illegal financial deals of the Tamil diaspora.

Find links to the radio show on Sri Lanka's Ministry of Defence website here.

Neth FM found itself under scrutiny earlier this year, after Colombo Telegraph revealed that the editor, along side over 500 fellow Sri Lankan journalists had been presented with interest free car loans by the Sri Lankan president. According to the news site, Neth FM's editor, Kulasiri Kariyawasam, also received a free laptop.

UK, Australia and Canada caution Tamil citizens over Sri Lanka's terror laws after diaspora bans

Apr 12, 2014
Following the Sri Lankan government's proscription of 15 diaspora organisations and over 400 individuals, the UK, Australia and Canada cautioned Tamil citizens travelling to Sri Lanka of the country's terrorism laws. 
 
In travel advice updated April 11th, the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) stated:
"On 21 March 2014, the Sri Lankan government designated 16 organisations and 424 individuals, including the British Tamils Forum and Global Tamil Forum, for purported links to terrorism."
Warning its citizens of Sri Lanka's draconian terrorism laws, the FCO's travel advice also states:
"The Sri Lankan Prevention of Terrorism Act permits prolonged detention without charge or trial. If you are detained, you should ask the authorities to contact the British High Commission."

Sri Lanka collects details of Tamil diaspora - TNA MP Ariyanenthiran

Apr 12, 2014
Sri Lankan intelligence officers are actively collecting the details of the Tamil diaspora from Trincomalee, the TNA MP Ariyanenthiran told the Uthayan this week.

Using local government officials, the intelligence officers alongside the army are collecting details of those who fled after the 1983 riots, in order to prepare a new list of individuals to proscribe, said Mr. Ariyanenthiran.

Intelligence officers have decided to collect information directly from voter lists after local government officials informed them of the difficulty of obtained such information.

Not soldiers but ‘militarised civilians’ says Army

Apr 12, 2014
Writing to Sri Lanka's Sunday Times regarding a photograph published by the paper last week depicting soldiers helping to repair a roof at a Dutch hospital in Colombo, the Sri Lankan Army media spokesperson, said,

Spirit of reconciliation at New Year says President... in Sinhala

Apr 12, 2014
In an official message marking Sinhala and Tamil new year celebrations Monday, the Sri Lankan President, Mahinda Rajapaksa, pointed to the spirit of reconciliation of 'Aluth Avurudu' [Sinhala word for New Year, commonly used to refer specifically to 'Sinhala New Year'].

The message said,
Journalist beaten with iron bars in Jaffna
Canada suspends over $10m Commonwealth funding over Sri Lanka as chair
Samarasinghe: Gopi incident 'clear evidence' of need for troops in North
3 Tamils shot dead by military buried in Anuradhapura, close family remain detained
Sinhala radio show accuses Tamil diaspora of illegal financial deals
UK, Australia and Canada caution Tamil citizens over Sri Lanka's terror laws after diaspora bans
Sri Lanka collects details of Tamil diaspora - TNA MP Ariyanenthiran
Not soldiers but ‘militarised civilians’ says Army
Spirit of reconciliation at New Year says President... in Sinhala
Body found in Visvamadu of Tamil woman working for Army
Journalist beaten with iron bars in Jaffna
Canada suspends over $10m Commonwealth funding over Sri Lanka as chair
Samarasinghe: Gopi incident 'clear evidence' of need for troops in North
3 Tamils shot dead by military buried in Anuradhapura, close family remain detained
Sinhala radio show accuses Tamil diaspora of illegal financial deals
UK, Australia and Canada caution Tamil citizens over Sri Lanka's terror laws after diaspora bans
Sri Lanka collects details of Tamil diaspora - TNA MP Ariyanenthiran
Not soldiers but ‘militarised civilians’ says Army
Spirit of reconciliation at New Year says President... in Sinhala
Body found in Visvamadu of Tamil woman working for Army