Tamil Affairs

Tamil News

Latest news from and about the homeland

The arithmetic of a grave
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…

Jaffna Uni remembers Thileepan

Sep 25, 2015

Students at the University of Jaffna held a memorial event on the 28th death anniversary of hunger striker Lt Col Thileepan.

The event was held at a secret location on Saturday evening.

Sri Lanka resolution marks step towards credible justice with international involvement – John Kerry

Sep 24, 2015
The consensus resolution tabled on Sri Lanka to deal with the findings of the UN report into Sri Lanka's mass atrocities marks an important step “toward a credible transitional justice process, owned by Sri Lankans and with the support and involvement of the international community,” said the US Secretary of State in press release on Thursday.

Full press brief produced below.

Ranil says biggest issue facing Sri Lanka has been removed, resolution mandates domestic mechanism

Sep 24, 2015


Sri Lanka's prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said that the resolution to be co-sponsored by Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva later this month would mandate a "domestic mechanism".

Speaking at the 50th anniversary event of CIMA in Colombo on Thursday evening, after the draft text of the consensus resolution was released, Mr Wickremesinghe told audiences that the world had accepted Sri Lanka's expressed commitment to democracy.

"We will no longer have to face the pressures we have been facing for the past five or six years, the world has accepted the fact that we are building a democratic society," Mr Wickremesinghe was quoted by the Daily FT as saying.

Stating that the government had reached a compromise with the United States to include "Commonwealth and foreign judges and lawyers" instead of "international judges", Mr Wickremesinghe said the domestic mechanism "will certainly have the help of not only Sri Lankan but also Commonwealth and foreign judges and lawyers. But all that has to be authorised by Sri Lankan law."

Jaya urged to hold all party meeting on Sri Lankan war crimes

Sep 24, 2015
The chief minister of Tamil Nadu, Jayalalitha was on Thursday urged to hold an all-party meeting on ensuring an international inquiry into the allegations of war crimes in Sri Lanka.

In an open letter to Ms Jayalalitha, the PMK leader, Anbumani Ramadoss said, "with Modi being expected to return to India, after his US trip, on September 28, arrangements should be made on that day for a meeting with him. Sri Lankan Tamils will get justice only when parties in Tamil Nadu stand in unison and represent in one-voice."

“Only if leaders in Tamil Nadu keep forget their differences and work together will the Sri Lankan Tamils get justice,” he added.

LSSP rejects OISL report

Sep 24, 2015
Sri Lanka's Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP) rejected the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Investigation on Sri Lanka (OISL) stating that it would not support any outside intervention.

“We shall support all genuine efforts made by the present Government to achieve reconciliation and national unity, provided no outside interference is permitted. The taking of action against those guilty of alleged war crimes is an internal matter that we are capable of handling. If the need for any foreign assistance should arise it could be sought by us at our discretion. It must not be thrust on us as is being attempted by the UNHRC. Therefore, we reject both the content of the report and the manner of its preparation by the Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights (OHCHR),” the LSSP secretary said in a statement on Friday.

Sri Lanka to establish ‘independent trustworthy local mechanism’ says Ranil

Sep 23, 2015
Sri Lanka’s prime minister expressed his government’s aim to “establish an independent, trustworthy and enforcing local mechanism to investigate, maintain justice and equity, and to compensate, making sure that such unpleasant incidents will never happen again,” in a parliamentary speech on Wednesday.

Sri Lanka confident of Chinese and Indian support for domestic probe

Sep 23, 2015
The Sri Lankan government on Wednesday said that it is confident of support from China, Russia and India for a domestic inquiry to investigate crimes detailed by the UN in the OHCHR Investigation into Sri Lanka (OISL), despite the OISL recommending a hybrid special court to be established with significant international involvement.

"The resolution to be brought tomorrow will be for a domestic mechanism. We have the support coming from China, Russia and India they all agree for the local mechanism," Sri Lanka's cabinet spokesperson, Rajitha Senaratne was quoted by PTI as saying the night before a resolution on a criminal investigation is tabled before the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

Speaking in parliament earlier that day, the prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe said that the government aims to “establish an independent, trustworthy and enforcing local mechanism to investigate, maintain justice and equity, and to compensate, making sure that such unpleasant incidents will never happen again".

Sri Lankan navy arrests a further 6 Tamil Nadu fishermen

Sep 23, 2015
The Sri Lankan navy on Wednesday arrested a further six Tamil Nadu fishermen for allegedly fishing in Sri Lankan waters.

In a statement the navy said, “when the arrest was made the Indian fishermen had been fishing 3.5 nautical miles and 5.2 nautical miles off northwest of Kovilan Point."

Sri Lankan president arrives in New York for UNGA

Sep 23, 2015
The Sri Lankan president, Maithripala Sirisena arrived in New York on Thursday, ahead of the 70th UN General Assembly on September 30.

Mr Sirisena is accompanied by the minister of external affairs, Mangala Samaraweera, as well as his predecessor, who is currently the minister for skills development and vocational training, Mahinda Samarasinghe, and the minister of justice and Buddha Sasana, Wijeyadasa Rajapaksa.

Resolution on Sri Lanka tabled at UN Human Rights Council; 'credible justice process' with 'Commonwealth and other foreign judges' agreed on

Sep 23, 2015

UPDATED: 1845 GMT

A resolution calling for a "credible justice process" with "Commonwealth and other foreign judges" in order to prosecute for mass atrocities committed during the final stages of the island's armed conflict has been tabled at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

See the full text of the resolution here.

It calls for a "credible justice process" with "independent judicial and prosecutorial institutions led by individuals known for integrity and  impartiality" and "Commonwealth and other foreign judges, defence lawyers, and authorized prosecutors and investigators".

It also requests the Office of the High Commissioner to "present an oral update" to the Council at the 32nd session in June 2016 and present a "comprehensive report followed by discussion on the implementation of the present resolution at its 34th session" in March 2017. The OHCHR will also continue to assess progress on implementation of the recommendations listed in the OISL report.

Sri Lanka resolution marks step towards credible justice with international involvement – John Kerry
Ranil says biggest issue facing Sri Lanka has been removed, resolution mandates domestic mechanism
Jaya urged to hold all party meeting on Sri Lankan war crimes
LSSP rejects OISL report
Sri Lanka to establish ‘independent trustworthy local mechanism’ says Ranil
Sri Lanka confident of Chinese and Indian support for domestic probe
Sri Lankan navy arrests a further 6 Tamil Nadu fishermen
Sri Lankan president arrives in New York for UNGA
Resolution on Sri Lanka tabled at UN Human Rights Council; 'credible justice process' with 'Commonwealth and other foreign judges' agreed on
Resolution on Sri Lanka is a 'constructive starting point' - TNA
Sri Lanka resolution marks step towards credible justice with international involvement – John Kerry
Ranil says biggest issue facing Sri Lanka has been removed, resolution mandates domestic mechanism
Jaya urged to hold all party meeting on Sri Lankan war crimes
LSSP rejects OISL report
Sri Lanka to establish ‘independent trustworthy local mechanism’ says Ranil
Sri Lanka confident of Chinese and Indian support for domestic probe
Sri Lankan navy arrests a further 6 Tamil Nadu fishermen
Sri Lankan president arrives in New York for UNGA
Resolution on Sri Lanka tabled at UN Human Rights Council; 'credible justice process' with 'Commonwealth and other foreign judges' agreed on
Resolution on Sri Lanka is a 'constructive starting point' - TNA