Sri Lanka has arrested a young Tamil father in Jaffna under draconian anti-terrorism laws, over a Facebook post. Manoharan Kajendroopan, from Inuvil West, Chunnakam, has been arrested under the much criticised Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). The Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) reportedly detained Kajendroopan for uploading a photo of LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran on Facebook. This arrest, which comes shortly after the commemoration of Maaveerar Naal, marks the first such detention under Sri Lanka’s anti-terrorism framework following the annual remembrance event.
Hopes placed on Sri Lanka's new government under Anura Kumara Dissanayake mirror the promises of the 2015 "Good Governance" regime. For Tamils and the international community, only tangible actions can ensure this administration does not repeat the same cycle of impunity.
Following his re-election as member of parliament for Batticaloa, the Tamil Guardian spoke to Shanakiyan Rasamanickam to discuss the path ahead for Tamil politics and the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK), as well as accountability for genocide and a political solution for the Tamil people.
Tamils in Genoa, Italy joined the Tamil nation in marking Maaveerar Naal 2024.
Maaveerar Naal was commemorated in Lelystad, Netherlands on November 27. A lamp was lit before the national flag of Tamil Eelam and the Netherlands flag were both hoisted. The families of fallen cadres were then escorted into the hall with a musical procession.
Sri Lanka's defence secretary, accused war criminal Sampath Thuyacontha, visited Jaffna on Thursday, as he oversaw military relief efforts amidst floods that have devastated the island. Thuyacontha visited various areas in the regions and received briefs from the occupying Sri Lankan military in the peninsula. In a press conference with journalists, he went was questioned on the occupation and said that lands in the North-East are held for "security purposes," claiming that 2700 acres will be released from Jaffna "soon". "There are 2,700 acres of land to be released in the Jaffna district. We...
Tamils commemorated Maaveerar Naal across the United States of America, with events taking place in Boston, California and North Carolina.
Tamils commmemorated Maaveerar Naal in Melbourne, Australia. Flowers were laid at makeshift gravestones to pay respect to fallen cadres and honour the sacrifices they made in the liberation struggle.
Tamils in Switzerland joined the Tamil nation in marking Maaveerar Naal.
Human Rights Watch in a letter addressed to Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has called on him to address the island's many human rights problems by fulfilling and building upon pledges he made in recent election campaigns. In the letter sent by Elaine Pearson, Asia Director for the HRW, she states that the organisation welcomes the pledges he made during the campaigns to address several long-standing human rights issues, including by repealing the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), removing abusive provisions of the Online Safety Act, establishing an independent Directorate of...