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40 years since Kumuthini boat massacre by Sri Lankan Navy

 

 

 

 

File photograph

Today marks 40 years since 36 Tamils were massacred by Sri Lankan Navy officers on board the Kumuthini boat on May 15, 1985. 

16 years today - No Fire Zone up in smoke

 

To mark 16 years since the Sri Lankan military onslaught that massacred tens of thousands of Tamils, we revisit the final days leading up to the 18th of May 2009 – a date remembered around the world as ‘Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day’. 

Namal Rajapaksa demands summoning of Canadian High Commissioner over Tamil Genocide Monument

Namal Rajapaksa, parliamentarian and son of accused war criminal Mahinda Rajapaksa, has called on the Sri Lankan government to summon the Canadian High Commissioner to formally protest the unveiling of a Tamil Genocide Monument in Brampton, Canada, claiming it promotes a “false genocide narrative” and “distorts history.”

Shritharan demands clarity on Sri Lanka’s acquisition of over 5,700 acres of Tamil land
Sivagnanam Shritharan, Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) Member of Parliament has demanded Sri Lanka’s Minister of Agriculture, K.D. Lalkantha, publicly disclose the true intent behind a gazette notification issued on 28 March 2025, which seeks to acquire over 5,700 acres of land across the Tamil homeland.
Tamil activist assaulted ahead of Mullivaikkal commemoration
Social activist Selvakumar was brutally assaulted in Kudumbimalai, Batticaloa, while informing locals about the cancellation of a Mullivaikkal commemoration event
Protest marks ten years since Vithiya’s murder
A peaceful protest marking the tenth anniversary of Vithya's murder turned tense in Velanai as police attempted to collect participants' names, sparking concerns over intimidation
Mullivaikkal genocide commemorated in Denmark

Tamils in Grinsted, Denmark, held a memorial on May 11 to commemorate the victims of the Mullivakkal genocide. 

Candles were lit and flowers were laid to remember the tens of thousands of Tamils that were killed by Sri Lanka's military offensive in the final months of the armed conflict. 

Gary Anandasangaree appointed as Canada’s next Public Safety Minister

Tamil Canadian MP Gary Anandasangaree has been appointed today as the Minister of Public Safety in Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s new cabinet.

Second day of Mullivaikkal Remembrance Week marked in the North-East

Tamils in the North-East served and ate kanji today to mark the second day of Mullivaikkal Remembrance Week. 

Kanji served across Jaffna as Mullivaikkal Remembrance Week begins
Mullivaikkal remembrance week was observed across the North with porridge distribution, protests, and tributes honoring the victims of the Tamil genocide
Foreign Office helped former British mercenary linked to atrocities in Sri Lanka avoid court case
KMS

Photograph: Yardstick Films 

Britain's Foreign Office successfully stopped a retired mercenary being compelled to give evidence at a freedom of information tribunal in London. 

‘They fled with only a loincloth — now you ask for documents?’ Ravikaran slams land grab Gazette
MP T. Ravikaran has condemned the government’s move to seize nearly 6,000 acres in the North, warning it would betray war-displaced Tamils and echo past oppressive regimes
Residents protest soil excavation in Batticaloa, demand end to controversial land project
Residents of Kinniyadi in the Valaichchenai region staged a protest last week, blocking a vehicle transporting excavated soil in opposition to a contentious land excavation project that locals claim is being carried out under the false pretext of a fish farming initiative.
Preparations underway in Mullivaikkal for Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day

Mullivaikal commemoration preparation

Preparations are underway at Mullivaikkal memorial ground ahead of Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day which is marked by Tamils in the homeland and the diaspora.

Sri Lankan police arrest Tamil farmers and 16-year-old after complaint by monk
Two Tamil farmers have been remanded in custody while a 16-year-old student was released on bail, following their arrest near Kurunthurmalai, after a complaint lodged by a Sinhala Buddhist monk.
Ponnambalam hails local election results as a mandate for Tamil nationalism
Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) leader and Member of Parliament Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam has hailed the results of Sri Lanka’s recent local government elections as a clear mandate in favour of Tamil nationalism, stating that the outcome represents a resounding rejection of ‘Sinhalese majoritarianism’ from the South.
Tamil landowners continue protests against unlawful Buddhist temple in Thaiyiddy
Tamil landowners in Valikamam North staged a protest today, on full moon day, against the illegal Thaiyiddy Vihara built on their seized land, amid heavy police presence
Tamil Genocide Monument inaugurated in Brampton

The Tamil Genocide Monument, dedicated to the victims and survivors of the genocide perpetrated by the Sri Lankan state in the final phase of the armed conflict, was inaugurated in Brampton, Canada on May 10. 

Montreal borough passes motion recognising Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day

Côte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, a borough in Montreal, has passed a motion recognising May 18 as Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day. 

Sri Lankan police arrest Tamil farmers in Kurunthurmalai
Tamil farmer's land cultivation obstructed and workers arrested in Kurunthurmalai as Buddhist monk and authorities enforce disputed land seizure

World News

Libya fighting eases after truce announced

abdulhamid dbeibah sitting


The worst fighting in Tripoli for years calmed down today after the government announced a ceasefire. 

Clashes broke out on Monday night after reports that the leader of the Support and Stability Apparatus (SSA), Abdelghani al-Kikli, was killed. After calming Tuesday morning, the fighting reignited overnight. 

PKK to disband, potentially bringing an end to decades of conflict in Turkiye

Kurdistan Workers Party fighters standing beside each other

PKK, also known as the Kurdistan Workers Party announced plans to disband and disarm, potentially bringing 40 years of conflict with Turkiye to an end. 

UN experts call for international intervention to end genocide in Gaza

gaza

Escalating atrocities in Gaza present an urgent moral crossroads and States must act now to end the violence or bear witness to the annihilation of the Palestinian population in Gaza – an outcome with irreversible consequences for our shared humanity and multilateral order, UN experts warned, demanding immediate international intervention.

Israel to ‘occupy Gaza’ as cabinet approves new intensive Israeli operation

Netanyahu with hand up

The Israeli cabinet has approved plans to expand the war on Gaza and remain in the enclave for an unspecified amount of time. Benjamin Netanyahu said the new offensive will be an intensive military operation aimed at defeating Hamas. 

Netanyahu stated in a video message on X that Gaza’s Palestinian population “will be moved, for its own protection”.

UK in talks with France and Saudi Arabia on recognition of Palestine

 

(Photograph: Ben Dance / FCDO)

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy revealed on Wednesday that the UK is in discussions with France and Saudi Arabia over the recognition of a Palestinian state, ahead of a UN conference in June.

Rwandan arrested in US over genocide charges

DOJ

Faustin Nsabumukunzi, 65, was charged with covering up from US authorities his role as a local leader in Rwanda when the genocide began in 1994. An estimated 800,000 Tutsis were killed during the three-month-long genocide.

DRC seeks to remove former president's immunity over alleged war crimes

Kabila standing at podium in front of flags

Authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are seeking to lift the immunity of former President Joseph Kabila so that he can face trial on charges of supporting a rebel uprising in eastern DRC. 

Houthi fighters down $200m worth of US drones

parked reaper drone

In recent weeks Yemen’s Houthi armed group has shot down seven US Reaper drones worth over $200m.

The drones destroyed between 31 March and 22 April mark Washington's most significant material loss. 

Tensions escalate between India and Pakistan following Pahalgam attack
Tensions between India and Pakistan have escalated sharply following a deadly attack in Pahalgam, Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, on 22 April, which left at least 26 people dead.
Ex-South African Foreign minister urges global reform to enforce ICJ Gaza ruling

Naledi Pandor smiling

Speaking to the Anadolu Agency on Monday, Former South African foreign minister Naledi Pandor renewed urgent calls to reform the United Nations. 

Pandor was the foreign minister when South Africa filed a genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in December 2023.

'Together, we must uphold multilateralism,' says China's Ambassador to India

China’s ambassador to India, Xu Feihong, signalled a renewal of China-India ties, in the aftermath of US-imposed tariffs on countries around the world.

Tunisian court hands prison sentences to opposition figures

President Kaid Saeid in front of books

On Saturday, a Tunisian court sentenced dozens of opposition figures on national security charges. 

Forty people were being prosecuted in the trial, which started in March. Over 20 have fled abroad since being charged and have been sentenced in absentia. 

Israel sacks deputy commander over killing of 15 emergency workers in Gaza, denies cover-up

The Israeli military on Sunday announced the dismissal of a deputy commander following an internal investigation into the killing of 15 emergency workers in Gaza on March 23 2025. The investigation found “several professional failures” but denied any attempt to conceal the incident.

Al-Shabab fighters attack strategic Somalia town

Somali Armed Forces standing

Al-Shabab fighters are claiming to have seized control of Adan Yabaal, a town in central Somalia, on Wednesday. 

Adan Yabaal is situated about 220 kilometres north of Mogadishu and serves as the logistical hub for government forces.

President of Kurdistan autonomous region to meet Macron

MB

Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani will meet French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Monday marking his fifth official visit to France.

Red Cross chief says humanitarian situation in Gaza is 'hell on earth'

Gaza

The head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has told the BBC that Gaza has become "hell on earth", as Israel's military assault and blockade of aid continues.

France could recognise Palestinian state in June

Macron

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday France could recognise a Palestinian state in June.

Hamas launches legal challenge against UK terror designation
The Palestinian group Hamas has launched a legal challenge against the United Kingdom’s 2021 decision to designate it as a terrorist organisation, submitting a detailed 106-page application to the Home Secretary calling for the proscription to be overturned.
Ten British nationals accused of committing war crimes in Gaza

Israeli forces tank with israeli flag

A complaint against 10 British nationals accusing them of committing war crimes while serving with the Israeli military in Gaza will be submitted to the Metropolitan Police on Monday. 

Myanmar junta declares temporary ceasefire following earthquake, days after armed groups halt hostilities
The junta’s ceasefire declaration came several days after armed resistance groups across the country had already unilaterally paused hostilities to allow for humanitarian operations. The military had initially refused to reciprocate.