Tamil Affairs

Tamil News

Latest news from and about the homeland

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The number of skeletal remains identified at the Chemmani mass grave in Jaffna has risen to 366, as excavators uncovered further remains of children on Tuesday, at one of the largest mass graves unearthed on the island and a site long tied to the enforced disappearance and extrajudicial killing of Tamils by the Sri Lankan military. Six sets of skeletal remains, including those of children,…

Curfews back in Sri Lanka as spike of coronavirus infections hits island

The Sri Lankan government has declared another set of curfews and banned all public gatherings across the island, after a cluster of more than 1,000 positive coronavirus infections this week, with the security forces warning that action would be taken against those that break government orders.

Sri Lankan health authorities confirmed on Wednesday that an outbreak ntered around a garment factory in the capital's suburbs has risen to 1,022 confirmed infections. More than 1,500 people have also reportedly been asked to quarantine at their homes.

Review: ‘Keenie Meenie: Britain’s Private Army’

Phil Miler’s explosive new documentary, “Keenie Meenie: Britain’s Private Army”, provides detailed insight into how a private British company went on to effectively set up one of Sri Lanka’s most notorious military units and sheds light on the United Kingdom's long-standing complicity in Sri Lanka's atrocities against Tamils.

Sinhala only banners at Vavuniya ministerial visit

Banners were put up in Sinhala only for a recent ministerial visit to Vavuniya, a district in the Tamil-speaking North.

Journalists from Vavuniya, Mullaitivu and Mannar were kept waiting for over two hours for Media Minister and cabinet spokesperson Keheliya Rambukwella and state minister S Viyazhenthiran at the Vavuniya District Secretariat on Saturday.

Sell-out' Tamil MP awarded ministerial position

Sri Lankan Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) MP Sathasivam Viyalendiran, who has been accused of selling out his Tamil constituents, has been sworn in as the State Minister Of Backward Rural Areas Development and Promotion of Domestic Animal Husbandry and Minor Economic Crop Cultivation before Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the Presidential Secretariat.

Murder investigation launched after mother and 3-year-old son found dead in London

A three-year-old boy and his mother were found dead at a flat in London on Wednesday, with reports that his father killed himself after British police forced entry into the property on Wednesday morning.

Poorna Kaameshwari Sivaraj, 36-years-old, and her son Kailash Kuha Raj, were found dead at the property. 

42-year-old Kuha Raj Sithamparanathan, father of Kailash and husband to Poorna, “fatally injured himself when officers entered the property” said a police statement. He died on the scene.

Sri Lanka cancels Japan-funded light rail project as international debt continues to mount 

A light rail project that was to be completed in Colombo with Japanese funding has been cancelled by the Sri Lankan government, as the country's international debt continues to increase. 

The total cost of the Light Railway Track System was projected to be $1.5 billion, with Sri Lanka and the Japan International Cooperation Agency signing a concessionary loan agreement of about ¥30 billion early last year.  

No tigers allowed - even in football

The Sri Lankan army intervened against a local Tamil football team in Valvettithurai this week, claiming that their team logo resembles that of the roaring tiger seen in the Tamil Eelam national flag.

The Valvai Premier League, patronised by Jaffna Paruthithurai League, kicked off yesterday at the Oorani grounds. But one team - the Delta Super Kings - caught the attention of the Sri Lankan security forces who intervened and prevented the team from hoisting or displaying their flag.

US raises concerns over Sri Lanka-China trade

US Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Alaina B. Teplitz, expressed concern over Sri Lanka’s trading relationship with China emphasising the importance of “free trade and a fair investment climate”.

In her statement, she highlighted that according to a 2019 World Bank study more than 60 per cent of PRC-funded BRI projects are allocated to Chinese companies. The processes behind this are not transparent.       

Remembering Lt Col Pulenthiran and Lt Col Kumarappa

5 October marks the 33rd remembrance of 12 LTTE cadres who committed suicide after being arrested by the Indian Peace Keeping Force and were in the process of being taken to Colombo for interrogation.

Resisting the crackdown - Newsletter, 5 October 2020


Last week, Tamils across the North-East carried out a hartal, the most widespread protest to take place since Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa came into power, demonstrating against Colombo’s ongoing campaign to ban commemorations of those who gave their lives for Tamil rights.