Tamil Affairs

Tamil News

Latest news from and about the homeland

""
EU delegation granted access to Chemmani mass grave as tally reaches 454
A delegation from the European Union is to visit the Chemmani mass grave in Jaffna on Wednesday morning, after the Jaffna Magistrate's Court granted permission for the inspection on Monday, in the latest instance of international attention on a site where excavations continue to unearth evidence of atrocity. The visit comes amid sustained calls from Tamil families, human rights groups and…
""

Indian detainee among inmates killed in Negombo prison bloodshed

Jul 9, 2026

Prison officers responding to the deadly unrest at Negombo Prison were attacked by inmates who allegedly dropped large stones onto their heads, according to Sri Lankan prison authorities, as investigations continue into one of the country's deadliest prison incidents in recent years/

Amnesty International says Sri Lanka must answer for deaths after prison transfers

Jul 9, 2026
Amnesty International has called for an urgent and independent investigation into the deaths of two prisoners transferred from Negombo Prison, warning that allegations of torture and ill-treatment against other inmates are “deeply alarming”.

Families of the disappeared renew call for international justice as more than 400 die waiting

Jul 9, 2026
Tamil families of the forcibly disappeared across the North-East have announced an international conference on 30 August, renewing their rejection of Sri Lanka's domestic accountability mechanisms and their decade-long demand for international justice, as more than 400 mothers and fathers have now died without ever learning the fate of their loved ones.

Sri Lankan military agrees to reopen road to Palaly temple after 35 years

Jul 9, 2026
The Sri Lankan military has agreed to reopen the permanent road to the Rajarajeshwari Amman Temple in Palaly, blocked for years by an army vehicle-repair depot, and to allow daily worship until 10pm, a concession within one of Jaffna's most militarised zones that nonetheless leaves thousands of displaced families still barred from their land.
""

Ravikaran demands justice for prison killings, Chemmani and Keppapulavu land

Jul 9, 2026
Vanni District MP Thurairasa Ravikaran has called for justice over the Negombo Prison violence, an investigation into former president Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga over alleged Chemmani cover-up claims, and the release of military-occupied land in Keppapulavu.

Protest in Vavuniya over encroachment on a vital irrigation tank

Jul 8, 2026
Farmers and residents in Vavuniya have protested against the alleged encroachment of the catchment of the Kovilkulam tank, warning that development on the land threatens the reservoir's water supply and the farming livelihoods of a community reliant on the dry zone's centuries-old network of village tanks.
""

Sri Lanka moves Negombo prisoners to North-East after 26 killed in riot

Jul 8, 2026
Sri Lankan authorities have transferred more than 100 inmates from Negombo Prison to facilities in Jaffna and Batticaloa after deadly clashes killed at least 26 people

Rewiring Britain

Jul 8, 2026
Andy Burnham is set to be Britain's next Prime Minister. In a speech this week, delivered not from Westminster but from Manchester, he pledged to "rewire" the country, promising the biggest transfer of power out of Whitehall in modern times. His optimism and sense of purpose are clearly welcome after years of drift. But if the rewiring is to mean anything, it cannot stop at Britain's shores.
""

Ranil and former secretary face September hearing over UK trip allegations

Jul 8, 2026
Former Sri Lankan president Ranil Wickremesinghe appeared before court on Wednesday as proceedings over an alleged Rs. 16.6 million misuse of state funds linked to a 2023 UK visit were postponed until September.
""

Sinhala groups call on Sri Lankan government to prioritise Sinhalese settlements in Jaffna

Jul 7, 2026
Addressing a press conference at the Jaffna Press Club, the representatives urged the government to halt any new land allocation programmes in the Jaffna peninsula until what they described as the land rights of displaced Sinhalese had been addressed.
"" Indian detainee among inmates killed in Negombo prison bloodshed
Amnesty International says Sri Lanka must answer for deaths after prison transfers
Families of the disappeared renew call for international justice as more than 400 die waiting
Sri Lankan military agrees to reopen road to Palaly temple after 35 years
"" Ravikaran demands justice for prison killings, Chemmani and Keppapulavu land
Protest in Vavuniya over encroachment on a vital irrigation tank
"" Sri Lanka moves Negombo prisoners to North-East after 26 killed in riot
Rewiring Britain
"" Ranil and former secretary face September hearing over UK trip allegations
"" Sinhala groups call on Sri Lankan government to prioritise Sinhalese settlements in Jaffna
""
Indian detainee among inmates killed in Negombo prison bloodshed
Amnesty International says Sri Lanka must answer for deaths after prison transfers
Families of the disappeared renew call for international justice as more than 400 die waiting
Sri Lankan military agrees to reopen road to Palaly temple after 35 years
""
Ravikaran demands justice for prison killings, Chemmani and Keppapulavu land
Protest in Vavuniya over encroachment on a vital irrigation tank
""
Sri Lanka moves Negombo prisoners to North-East after 26 killed in riot
Rewiring Britain
""
Ranil and former secretary face September hearing over UK trip allegations
""
Sinhala groups call on Sri Lankan government to prioritise Sinhalese settlements in Jaffna