Tamil Affairs

Tamil News

Latest news from and about the homeland

A fundamental rights petition will be filed before Sri Lanka's Supreme Court seeking the release of Tamil artist Sangeethsan Ganeskumar, better known as HipHop Sangee, after his arrest and detention under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), President's Counsel M. A. Sumanthiran announced on Thursday. The move comes amid growing criticism of the rapper's detention and mounting calls from…

Mannar protesters claim partial victory as Sri Lankan president halts wind power project for one month

Protests continue in Mannar over wind power project as residents demand government intervention

Sampur skeletons to be excavated – Army put in charge of potential mass grave

A court in Muthur has authorised the excavation of a potential mass grave site in Sampur where human skeletal remains were discovered last month, ordering that the work be carried out by the Sri Lankan Army’s Eastern Province Engineering Division with the approval of the Eastern Province Security Force Commander.

Sri Lanka hosts child protection conference despite legacy of state violence against Tamil children

Sri Lanka hosted its first-ever international conference on child protection last month, with the government pledging to reform systems to better safeguard children from abuse, despite Colombo’s continued failure to address long-standing crimes committed against Tamil children during and after the armed conflict.

Lohan Ratwatte dead at 57 – Rajapaksa ally remembered for mass murder, gunpoint threats to Tamils

Former parliamentarian, state minister, and staunch Rajapaksa ally Lohan Ratwatte has died at the age of 57. His political career was marked not only by close ties to Sri Lanka’s ruling elite but also by a litany of violent incidents, criminal convictions, and unabashed threats against political opponents - particularly Tamils.

35th anniversary of Veeramunai massacre commemorated in Amparai

Ampara massacre

Tamils gathered in Amparai this week to mark 35 years since at least 55 Tamils were killed by the Sri Lankan military and Muslim home guards, part of a series of killings that left hundreds dead in just weeks.

Ampara massacre

Kapilraj’s killing was a planned murder – Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam

Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) leader and Jaffna District parliamentarian Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam has condemned the killing of 32-year-old Ethirmanasingham Kapilraj in Mullaitivu, describing it as a “planned murder by the Sri Lankan Army” and a stark example of the military’s ongoing hostility towards Tamils in the North-East.

Starve, Bomb, Repeat: Gaza’s siege echoes Sri Lanka’s genocide

As Israel faces global outrage for imposing its siege on Gaza by cutting off food, water, and supplies to 2.3 million Palestinians, observers of Sri Lanka’s ethnic conflict hear chilling echoes. 

Sencholai massacre 19th anniversary commemorated across Tamil Eelam

Commemorations were held across the North-East today to mark the 19th anniversary of the Sencholai massacre, when a Sri Lankan Air Force airstrike on 14 August 2006 killed 53 Tamil schoolgirls and four staff members at the Sencholai children’s home in Vallipunam, Mullaitivu.

Premadasa condemns killing of Gaza journalists - but Sri Lanka’s own record casts long shadow

Sri Lankan opposition leader Sajith Premadasa has condemned Israel’s killing of Al Jazeera journalist Anas Al Sharif and his colleagues in Gaza, calling it “an absolute crime against humanity and press freedom.”

“The deliberate killing of journalists is an attack on truth,” Premadasa wrote on X. “Silencing those who risk their lives to report from the frontlines is an absolute crime against humanity and press freedom. All democratic nations that stand for press freedom must demand accountability.”

Remembering the Sencholai massacre 19 years on

Today marks the 19th anniversary of the massacre of 53 school girls by the Sri Lankan Air Force.