Tamil Affairs

Tamil News

Latest news from and about the homeland

This week, the number of skeletal remains uncovered at Chemmani reached a stark record of 387. With that figure, a patch of earth on the edge of Jaffna town became the largest mass grave ever uncovered on the island, surpassing the 376 remains recovered at Mannar. Recent days alone have seen the bodies of several children exhumed, alongside beads and bangles. These are the contents of the…

Sri Lankan intelligence threaten Jaffna University staff over Maaveerar Naal posters

Sri Lankan military intelligence personnel have threatened security guards working at Jaffna University to give up any information regarding Maaveerar Naal posters, which have appeared across the campus.

The interrogation of the campus security guards on Thursday comes after posters calling for the commemoration of Maaveerar Naal, appeared across the university last week.

Schools across Northern Province to be shut on Nov 27

All schools across the Northern Province will be shut on Friday in order to commemorate the death of a Tamil student who committed suicide in protest at the continued detention of Tamil political prisoners.

The Northern Provincial Council's Education Secretary Ravindran made the announcement as hundreds of students at Jaffna University called for justice for the death of 18-year-old Rajeswaran Senthuran, who took his own life in protest at the Sri Lankan government's failure to release Tamil political prisoners.

Friday also marks the Tamil day of remembrance, Maaveerar Naal.

UK to discuss ‘progress’ on UN HRC resolution with Sri Lanka at CHOGM

Britain will discuss Sri Lanka’s progress on implementation of the United Nations Human Rights Council resolution on accountability for mass atrocities at the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Malta.

Speaking to The Island a British High Commission spokesperson said “the UK has welcomed the commitments made by the Sri Lankan government to the UN Human Rights Council to address issues of reconciliation, accountability and human rights” and “we believe it is vital that the legacy of the conflict in Sri Lanka is properly addressed, to allow the country to fulfill its huge potential”.

The spokesperson went on to add:

“Sri Lanka is not on the formal agenda at the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Malta, but we look forward to discussing progress in our meetings with the Sri Lankan delegation”.

Commemorating Maaveerar Naal is illegal reiterates Sri Lanka's police spokesperson

Sri Lanka’s Police Spokesperson Ruwan Gunasekara told the island that the police would not allow anyone to commemorate Maaveerar Naal on November 27.

Stating that action would be taken to trace those responsible for posters commemorating Maaveerar Naal, Mr Gunasekara said it was against the law to commemorate Maaverar Naal as the Liberation Tamil Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) were a terrorist organisation.

TNA shocked and saddened by suicide, urges calm

Expressing shock and sadness at the news of a Jaffna student committing suicide in protest over the ongoing detention of Tamil political prisoners in Sri Lanka, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) urged calm.

"We are very shocked and saddened by the suicide of of the 18 year old student, Rajeswaran Senthuran," the leader of the TNA, R Sampanthan and the TNA MP Mavai Senathirajah said in a statement on Thursday.

"We understand that he has expressed his feelings. His action should be carefully considered by all groups. We wish to express our condolences and sadness to his family."

"In such a situation it is important that everyone safeguards the peace. We will express and share our agony and grief without any violence."

UK will 'continue to monitor the situation of detainees' in Sri Lanka

The United Kingdom said that it will continue to monitor the situation of detainees held by the Sri Lankan government under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, and would "raise issues of ongoing concern with the Sri Lankan government".

British Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Hugo Swire responded to questions tabled by member of parliament Joan Ryan regarding Tamil political prisoners by stating Britain continues to "regularly raise matters of concern with the Sri Lankan government, including the Prevention of Terrorism Act and the detention of Tamil political prisoners without trial".

"We noted that on 17 November the hunger strike by Tamil detainees was temporarily suspended until 15 December," added the minister. "We will continue to monitor closely the situation of detainees held under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, and to raise issues of ongoing concern with the Sri Lankan government."

Jaffna Uni marks November remembrance with blood drive

Students at Jaffna University marked the remembrance month of November by donating blood.


The blood drive was held on Tuesday at the university's library auditorium, with over a hundred students participating.

Sri Lanka's police warn of legal action against events in 'support of LTTE' ahead of Maaveerar Naal

Sri Lanka’s police warned today that legal action will be taken against anyone that holds public events “in support of the LTTE” reports Colombo Gazette.

 The police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekara, said that since the LTTE is still a banned outfit in Sri Lanka public events cannot be held in support of the leaders or organisation.

The police announcement comes as Tamils across the world have started holding commemoration events for their war dead. Posters commemorating Maaveerar Naal, the annual Tamil remembrance day, have started appearing across the North-East.

Sri Lanka's former president on Tuesday, called on the Police to ensure the Tamil Eelam flag was not hoisted in the North-East, claiming that his government never allowed people in the North and East to commemorate the LTTE.

Sri Lanka proposes expropriating money from dormant accounts

The Sri Lankan proposed expropriating money from dormant bank accounts from January 2016, reported Economy Next.

"I propose that the monies lying in dormant accounts of commercial banks to be remitted to the Consolidated Fund, by 1 January, 2016," the budget speech for 2016 said.

Details of which accounts would fall within this category have not been specified.

See here for more.

Sri Lanka army distributes uniforms at Kilinochchi school



The Sri Lankan army's 57 division distributed school uniforms at a school in Kilinochchi on November 23.