OPINION

Opinion

Latest news from and about the homeland

Did Mullivaikkal End History?
The full text of a speech delivered by Father Jeewantha Peiris on May 16, 2026, at the SEDEC Caritas Hall, at an event organised by the Movement for Equal Rights. _____ I think it is very important that in this evening’s discussion we ask the question of whether Mullivaikkal marks the end of history, because what we are still reading is history written by someone. Most of the time, we…

Minister Anandasangaree deserves our praise, not derision

Aug 1, 2025
Patrick Brown
Minister Anandasangaree showed courage in advocating for the safety and dignity of his community. That is not a scandal. That is leadership.

Tamil Eelam’s Asia Cup triumph - More than just football

Jul 19, 2025
Malaravan
The CONIFA Asia Cup concluded last week in London with Tamil Eelam’s team defending their title in a dominant display of footballing skill. In a thrilling final, Tamil Eelam faced off against East Turkistan and secured a resounding 5–0 victory to retain the championship.

Military Governance in Post-War Sri Lanka: Revisiting the Logic of Downsizing

Jul 17, 2025
Maxwin Paul Rayen
More than a decade after Sri Lanka’s civil war ended in 2009, the country still maintains one of the world’s largest standing armies. This enduring militarisation cannot be explained by conventional security needs or fiscal prudence. Sri Lanka is an island with no land borders and faces no significant external military threat, yet its Army remains bloated. Why?

Solidarity means more than placards

Jul 16, 2025
Thusiyan Nandakumar
Amid the many protests that have taken place in Colombo denouncing Israel’s genocide in Gaza, one placard stood out this month. It read “From Chemmani to Gaza – the earth remembers what states bury.” 

The UN’s Sri Lankan delusion: Franche and the futility of wishful thinking

Jul 7, 2025
Thusiyan Nandakumar
In a more than 40-minute interview with Ada Derana, during which the issues of accountability and justice in Sri Lanka were repeatedly raised, how many times did the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka, Marc-André Franche, say the word “Tamil”?

How generative AI diminishes the fight for justice

Jul 3, 2025
Abinaya Nathan
AI generated images of the Chemmani mass graves dilute the case for justice and compromise the dignity of the victims.

A political reading of 'Brotherless Night'

Jun 30, 2025
TU Senan
Readers who are not familiar with the historical events, or who are distant from them, may approach this book solely from a literary perspective—appreciating its narrative structure, prose. But Tamils who lived through these events may read it differently.

Sri Lanka’s hypocritical stance on Palestine

Jun 29, 2025
Rahul Balasundaram
While Sri Lanka’s support for Palestine is noteworthy amidst Israel’s ongoing genocide of Palestinians in Gaza, the hypocrisy of this stance reveals itself.

The ‘Eternal Lamp’ protest in Chemmani for justice on mass graves and the disappeared

Jun 29, 2025
Jera Thampi

To dispel the darkness surrounding the Chemmani mass graves and demand international justice for enforced disappearances, the “Anaiya Vilakku” (Eternal Lamp) protest was held in Chemmani, Jaffna. Organized by the volunteer youth collective “Makkal Seyal” (People’s Action), this protest took place on June 23, 24, and 25. It drew participation from families of the disappeared, religious leaders, university students, civil society representatives, politicians, and large numbers of the general public. 

The problem with ‘Tourist Family’ and Kollywood’s whitewashing

Jun 20, 2025
Thusiyan Nandakumar
The film, like so many other Kollywood films that have approached the Eelam Tamil story before it, falls disappointingly short.
Minister Anandasangaree deserves our praise, not derision
Tamil Eelam’s Asia Cup triumph - More than just football
Military Governance in Post-War Sri Lanka: Revisiting the Logic of Downsizing
Solidarity means more than placards
The UN’s Sri Lankan delusion: Franche and the futility of wishful thinking
How generative AI diminishes the fight for justice
A political reading of 'Brotherless Night'
Sri Lanka’s hypocritical stance on Palestine
The ‘Eternal Lamp’ protest in Chemmani for justice on mass graves and the disappeared
The problem with ‘Tourist Family’ and Kollywood’s whitewashing
Minister Anandasangaree deserves our praise, not derision
Tamil Eelam’s Asia Cup triumph - More than just football
Military Governance in Post-War Sri Lanka: Revisiting the Logic of Downsizing
Solidarity means more than placards
The UN’s Sri Lankan delusion: Franche and the futility of wishful thinking
How generative AI diminishes the fight for justice
A political reading of 'Brotherless Night'
Sri Lanka’s hypocritical stance on Palestine
The ‘Eternal Lamp’ protest in Chemmani for justice on mass graves and the disappeared
The problem with ‘Tourist Family’ and Kollywood’s whitewashing