Tamil Affairs

Tamil News

Latest news from and about the homeland

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…

Body of elderly woman found in Jaffna

The body of an elderly woman was found on Wednesday in the Velanai part of Jaffna, reported the Uthayan.

The body was found with wounds suggestive of an attack, and has been identified as that of a 70 year old woman called Arulappu Alvinamma.

Draft resolution fails to mention international investigation - TNA MP S. Premachandran

Expressing disappointment over the current text of the draft UNHRC resolution on Sri Lanka, the TNA Spokesperson Suresh Premachandran said it did 'nothing constructive towards addressing the genuine grievances towards the Tamils affected by war'.

Speaking in an interview to Ceylon Today, Premachandran said,
"Canada, Britain and the US had earlier vehemently condemned the human rights violations in Sri Lanka and had also called for an international investigation into the alleged war crimes in the Island. But the US draft resolution had failed to mention anything on the International investigation into the alleged war crimes,"

When Buddhist supremacism unites

Photograph Colombo Telegraph


The Sinhala Buddhist monk Galagoda Atte Gnanasara of Sri Lanka's Bodu Bala Sena met with the leader of Burma's notorious 969 movement, Ashin Wirathu, at the sidelines of the BIMSTEC conference in Burma earlier this week, reports Colombo Telegraph.

The Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa was also present at the conference, however it is unknown if BBS's Gnanasara traveled as part of the President's entourage.

See 'This is the modern axis of Buddhist hate' by Jake Scobey-Thal published in Foreign Policy today.

Unprecedented and biased campaign against Sri Lanka' - Mahinda Rajapaksa

Sri Lankan president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, today rejected the US sponsored draft resolution on Sri Lanka tabled at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), alleging that the resolution was of no significance due to its ‘biased’ nature.

Speaking on national television, Rajapaksa outlined that he was not concerned about the imminent resolution, as it was based on findings of the UN Human Rights Chief, Navi Pillay’s report, who according to Rajapaksa, was always expected to criticise Sri lanka.

Human remains found near Mullivaikkaal

Bags with human remains have been found in Nanthikadal, near Mullivaikkaal, reported the Uthayan.

The remains were found by a labourer from the area, who informed Northern Provincial Council member Mr. Ravikaran.

I gave orders, it will be me that goes to the electric chair - Sarath Fonseka

The former Army General, Sarath Fonseka, flatly rejected any allegations that his troops had committed war crimes during the final stages of the armed conflict in 2009, but added that "if there are war crimes allegations and somebody goes to the electric chair, it will be me because I commanded, I planned, I monitored, I directed, I supervised the battlefield activities and I gave orders."

In an interview to the Daily Mirror.lk General Fonseka said,
"If there are allegations of war crimes against the army, I have said that I am ready to answer that anytime to anybody because I don’t agree that the army had committed any war crimes. I deny that. If somebody has a specific complain and any credible evidence, then we can always conduct an inquiry like we have done in the past. But you can’t baselessly blame the army."

Draft resolution is disappointing, Cameron's pledge has not been realised - GTF

The draft resolution tabled at the UNHRC on Monday is "disappointing", said the Global Tamil Forum (GTF).

In an interview to BBC Tamil, the spokesperson of the GTF Suren Surendiran said,
"It's certainly not satisfactory. It's disappointing. Importantly, when the British Prime Minister went to Sri Lanka last year for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meet, he very clearly stated, if the Sri Lankan government does not conduct a credible investigation, then the coming March - ie. this month, March 2014 - he, the UK, and other countries would call for an independent, international investigation. Till now, that clear statement has certainly not been realised. Therefore, this is definitely a disheartening act. It has disappointed us."

PMK urges India to work towards strengthening draft UNHRC resolution

The leader of the Paattali Makkal Katchi, a party in the Tamil Nadu ruling coalition, urged the Indian government to work towards strengthening the draft resolution on Sri Lanka, tabled at the UNHRC this week.


The party leader, S Ramathas, stressed the need for India to strengthen the current draft resolution, and ensure that an international mechanism into war crimes and crimes against humanity and genocide took place.

David Cameron urged to call for CoI by UK NGOs

Several NGOs based in the UK have urged Prime Minister David Cameron to support the establishment of a Commission of Inquiry at the UN Human Rights Council.

In a letter to the Prime Minister, Freedom from Torture, Redress, Minority Rights Group International, Sri Lanka Campaign and UNA-UK, said the Prime Minister should stand by his call for an international investigation, adding that little had changed since his visit in November.

The groups said issues such as torture, disappearances and sexual violence, if left unaddressed, may lead to renewed conflict and said they hoped the UK would “champion robust action” at the council.

Cross-party group of UK MPs call for international investigation in Sri Lanka

The chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Tamils (APPGT), MP Lee Scott, left for the United Nations Human Rights Council, today, to aid efforts in ensuring that an international investigation into Sri Lankan atrocities is established by the UNHRC.

Speaking to press before he left, he said,