Today marks twelve years since S. P. Thamilselvan, the head of the political wing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was assassinated by the Sri Lankan air force (SLAF). On November 2, 2007 Sri Lankan air force jets carried out a strike on a residence of members of the LTTE's political division. Five other LTTE officials - Lt. Col. Anpumani (Alex), Major Mikuthan, Major Nethaaji, Lt. Aadchiveal and Lt. Maavaikkumaran - were killed alongside Brigadier Thamilselvan, in the attack. The assassination came as the Sri Lankan government ramped up its military offensive in the Tamil homeland. Brigadier Thamilchelvan was a member of the LTTE negotiating team that took part in peace talks with the Sri Lankan government in 2002 and 2003, becoming the Chief Negotiator after the death of Anton Balasingham. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights' (OHCHR) report into Sri Lanka's atrocities (OISL) noted that Sri Lanka's military killed the LTTE's political head before it officially withdrew from the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) in 2008. It noted that the attack was preceded by a military budget that "had reportedly risen by 40 percent and the Army had tripled in size from 100,000 to 300,000, with almost an additional 5,000 troops recruited per month between 2005 and 2008".
Kalaiyarasi Kanagalingam, a 14-year-old survivor of Mullivaikkal, spoke about the last memory of her father and the importance of Tamil genocide recognition at a conference hosted at the Houses of Parliament and attended by several senior British politicians and international legal experts on Thursday. Read her full speech to the conference below. "Hello, my name is Kalaiyarasi Kanagalingam, I am 14 years old. I'm here today to speak about how my life has been affected by what happened in 2009. 2009 was the most memorable and painful year of my life. May 17 2009, I saw my dad for the last...
On Thursday, the APPGT (All-Party Parliamentary Group for Tamils) hosted it's first-ever conference on Tamil Genocide Recognition in the Houses of Parliament were politicians from across the political spectrum voiced their support in obtaining justice and accountability for the massacres of Tamils. The conference was well attended by MPs from all major political parties, including the leader of the Labour Party Jeremy Corbyn, the former Conservative party leader, Iain Duncan Smith, and the Deputy Leader of the Liberal-Democrats, Sir Ed Davey. The conference also featured a number of eminent academic and legal experts including a panel featuring former UN Assistant-Secretary General Charles Petrie, former UN Special Rapporteur on Counter-Terrorism and Human Rights Ben Emmerson QC, current Member of Canadian parliament Gary Anandasangaree, and head of Together against Genocide, Jan Jananayagam.
Senior Sri Lankan navy commanders are complicit in serious crimes including torture, disappearances and murders, revealed a new report by the International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP) on Wednesday.
Sri Lanka's upcoming presidential election may bring a new face to power, but concerns remain from Tamils on the island and around the world that their plight may remain unchanged.
Updated Five Tamil political parties signed a memorandum today, highlighting key demands of Tamils, which are to be presented to all of Sri Lanka's leading presidential candidates. The demands have been formulated in order to help decide the position of Tamils in the upcoming Presidential election. The key demands include: 1) Reject a unitary state in the new Constitution and establish a federal state for Tamils; 2) Refer Sri Lanka to the International Criminal Court (ICC) or to a specially created International Criminal Tribunal for Sri Lanka, for the war crimes, crimes against humanity and...
As thousands of Kurds marched through London during a mass demonstration against the Turkish invasion of the Kurdish regions of Northern Syria, Eelam Tamils joined the rally to express solidarity in their struggle for freedom.
Former UN staffer Benjamin Dix released his first graphic novel this month, exploring the story of Tamil families trapped in the Vanni in 2009, as the Sri Lankan military launches an ominous offensive that kills tens of thousands civilians.
Today marks thirty-two years since the death of 2nd Lt. Maalathy, the first female fighter of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to lose her life in the Tamil armed struggle.
Marking 32 years since the death of Lt Col Thileepan, thousands of Tamils across the North-East attended commemoration events held throughout the day.