Vavuniya High Court Judge Manikkavasagam Ilanchelian ruled that the commanders of the Sri Lankan army's Omanthai Command should be held responsible for the disappearance of Tamil youth, Kandasamy Ilamaran, who went missing upon arriving at the Omanthai checkpoint in 2006.
A memorial to mark the 19th death anniversary of the former ITAK MP for the Amparai District, Ariyanayagam Chandranehru, was held by the Tamil National People's Front (TNPF) on Friday. Chandranehru hailed from Thirukkovil, Amparai. He was named after two leading Indian independence activists admired by his father – Subhas Chandra Bose and Jawaharlal Nehru. He was the son of K. A. W. Ariyanayagam (Arappor Ariyanayagam), one of the founders of the Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK). Chandranehru joined the public service, working at the fisheries department, he later worked as an officer on a...
On 2 February, Malvern Family Resource Center (MFRC) launched its #MalvernMade campaign to celebrate and recognise Malvern changemakers who have made a positive impact in the community. The event was attended by notable politicians and community leaders including Scarborough – Rouge Park MP Gary Anandasangaree and Deputy Mayor McKelvie.
In the Eastern province of Kalmunai, dozens of Sri Lankan Muslims gathered after Friday prayers to protest ongoing war in Gaza and express their support for Palestinians. The protest started from the Jummah Mosque with protesters making their way to the town hall. This is not the first time that Muslims have staged protests in Sri Lanka calling for an end to the war in Palestine. The UN has said that since the start of the war, about 100,000 people in Gaza have been killed, injured or are missing. Protesters expresed heir support for a "free Palestine" and stressed the need to recognise their...
Image of UNHCR camp by UKAID The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugee (UNHCR) has announced that it will close its offices in Colombo before the end of this year, leaving hundreds of refugees uncertain over their future. The UNHCR is the internationally mandated body that is responsible for processing refugees for resettlement to third countries and provides vital support to enable refugees to access basic essentials in their country of asylum. In December, the UNHCR stropped providing monthly allowances for refugees and scholarships for children in primary grades. As Sri Lanka...
In a historic court case, the Appeal Court of Sri Lanka issued a notice to the Sri Lankan army to appear before the judge on March 28th for intentionally concealing information on the number and names of the LTTE cadres who surrendered during the final phase of the war. The case was prompted by a Right to Information (RTI) request filed by a former journalist in 2019. The Sri Lankan army despite having the information detailing the figures, the names, the gender, and to whom these surrenders were handed over or where they were sent, has maintained silence over the details. Tamil families of the disappeared have repeatedly demanded the release of these details during their years-long protests.
The Tamil National People's Front (TNPF) Batticaloa district organiser Kanapthipillai Gukakumarajah and his son have been released on bail after they were arrested for trying to commemorate Maaveerar Naal. Batticaloa Magistrate Court ordered their release today after Gukakumarajah and his son Janojan were detained under the draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) when they on their way to Thandiyadi Thuyilum Illam on November 27, 2023 to commemorate the Tamils who have sacrificed their lives in the struggle for liberation. Last year, as many as 9 Tamils were detained under the PTA over...
Sri Lanka is aiming to negotiate a debt restructuring with holders of its defaulted US dollar bonds within “a couple of months”, the bankrupt south Asian nation’s central bank governor said, despite complaints by private creditors that no "substantive engagements" have occurred and that there is a "lack of transparency" with government creditors. Nandalal Weerasinghe, head of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka , told the Financial Times that “we need to reach an agreement within a couple of months” on restructuring the $13bn of debt as he dismissed worries that negotiations have become bogged down...
Five Eelam Tamils including three children from the same family reached Dhanushkodi yesterday, after undertaking a journey by boat from Mannar to seek refuge in Tamil Nadu. The family who were sent to Mandapam Camp were originally from Vavuniya and had paid a sum of Rs.150,000 to the owners of the boat and crew so they could be taken to Tamil Nadu. Sources said the five were identified as R Nanthakumar (42), his wife Sangari alias Nithya (26) and their daughters Jersika (6), Jenusika (3) and Eabisika (2). They had reportedly spent many hours without food until they were spotted by coast...
Tamil fisherfolk in Jaffna have been protesting for three days over alleged attempts by the Department of Fisheries to obstruct the usage of Savalkattu Fisheries harbor, demanding that their incomes and livelihoods have been severely impacted. The fishermen who staged a march towards the Northern Province Governor’s Secretariat obstructed the entrance of the Secretariat demanding that an immediate solution be provided to them. The fisherfolk demanded that they be allowed to meet the Northern Province Governor M. Nanthagopalan. However, they were turned away when the secretary to the governor...