Features

Features

Latest news from and about the homeland

From Mullivaikkal to the Foreign Office – Ed Miliband’s record on Tamils and Sri Lanka
Miliband speaking at British Tamil event at the Houses of Parliament in 2013. Ed Miliband, appointed Foreign Secretary on Monday in Prime Minister Andy Burnham's first cabinet reshuffle, arrives at the Foreign Office with a longer record on Tamil affairs than almost any of his predecessors. During his time as Labour leader between 2010 and 2015, Miliband issued statements marking Mullivaikkal…

Cyclone Ditwah: 390 killed, as death toll rises

Dec 1, 2025
The Sri Lankan government has declared a state of emergency as Cyclone Ditwah continues to devastate the island, raising the death toll to 390 with a further 352 individuals reported missing. 

Cyclone Ditwah devastates island: 69 dead, dozens missing

Nov 28, 2025

Cyclone Ditwah continues to unleash heavy rains, floods and landslides across the island, in one of the worst weather disasters in recent years.

Sri Lanka's Disaster Management Centre (DMC) confirmed on Friday evening that 69 people have been killed, with 34 still missing and more than 219,000 individuals affected.

Maaveerar Naal 2025 commemorated across Tamil Eelam and around the world

Nov 27, 2025
Remembrance events have taken place across Tamil Eelam and around the world today, to mark Maaveerar Naal or Great Heroes’ Day, paying tribute to the men and women who died in the independence struggle.

Flags, portraits and memorials sweep North-East, as Maaveerar Naal preparations surge

Nov 26, 2025
More than sixteen years after the genocide at Mullivaikkal, the Tamil homeland is witnessing its most widespread Great Heroes’ Day preparations in years.

Explainer - what is a Thuyilum Illam? 

Nov 24, 2025

Photograph: Koppay Thuyilum Illam, Jaffna, before its destruction by the Sri Lankan Army

As the Tamil nation prepares to mark Maaveerar Naal - or Great Heroes’ Day - on November 27, Tamils in the North-East will gather at Thuyilum Illams across the homeland to remember the Tamil fighters that sacrificed their lives for liberation.  

British Tamils confront JVP General Secretary in London

Nov 23, 2025
British Tamils gathered in London on Sunday to protest the visit of Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) General Secretary Tilvin Silva, confronting his convoy as he arrived at an event in Wembley.

Trincomalee Buddha shrine controversy explained

Nov 17, 2025
This explainer outlines what happened, why it matters, and how the reactions so far reveal deeper issues around colonisation of the North-East.

Sri Lankan police return Buddha statue to unauthorised Sinhala shrine in Trincomalee

Nov 17, 2025
There has been outrage in Trincomalee after Sri Lankan police removed, then hastily reinstated, a Buddha statue placed without authorisation on a public beachfront.

Remembering Raviraj - 19 years since assassination of Tamil MP in Colombo

Nov 10, 2025
Today marks 19 years since Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP and human rights lawyer, Nadarajah Raviraj was assassinated in Colombo.  Raviraj was shot in Colombo at close range by unidentified gunmen on a motorbike at around 8:30am on November 10 2006, as he got into his car after giving an interview. The MP died later in hospital. His bodyguard was also killed. 

Mannar residents triumph, as Dissanayake halts new wind power projects

Nov 4, 2025
In a significant victory for the people of Mannar, Sri Lankan president Anura Kumara Dissanayake has ordered the termination of all new wind power projects on Mannar Island, instructing that no future developments take place “without the consent of the people living in the Mannar Island.”
Cyclone Ditwah: 390 killed, as death toll rises
Cyclone Ditwah devastates island: 69 dead, dozens missing
Maaveerar Naal 2025 commemorated across Tamil Eelam and around the world
Flags, portraits and memorials sweep North-East, as Maaveerar Naal preparations surge
Explainer - what is a Thuyilum Illam? 
British Tamils confront JVP General Secretary in London
Trincomalee Buddha shrine controversy explained
Sri Lankan police return Buddha statue to unauthorised Sinhala shrine in Trincomalee
Remembering Raviraj - 19 years since assassination of Tamil MP in Colombo
Mannar residents triumph, as Dissanayake halts new wind power projects
Cyclone Ditwah: 390 killed, as death toll rises
Cyclone Ditwah devastates island: 69 dead, dozens missing
Maaveerar Naal 2025 commemorated across Tamil Eelam and around the world
Flags, portraits and memorials sweep North-East, as Maaveerar Naal preparations surge
Explainer - what is a Thuyilum Illam? 
British Tamils confront JVP General Secretary in London
Trincomalee Buddha shrine controversy explained
Sri Lankan police return Buddha statue to unauthorised Sinhala shrine in Trincomalee
Remembering Raviraj - 19 years since assassination of Tamil MP in Colombo
Mannar residents triumph, as Dissanayake halts new wind power projects