Tamil Affairs

Tamil News

Latest news from and about the homeland

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Activists protest mineral sand mining threatening East coast
Environmentalists and civil society activists protested at Galle Face in Colombo on 17 June against proposed heavy mineral sand mining along the eastern coastline from Oluvil to Pothuvil, warning that the project threatens the land, fisheries and livelihoods of Tamil and Muslim communities across the Eastern Province. According to the People's Alliance for Right to Land (PARL), exploration…

UPFA rejects any autonomy to Tamil regions beyond 13th amendment

Jul 31, 2015
The General Secretary of the United People’s Freedom Alliance Susil Premajayanth reiterated the party’s rejection of granting any autonomy beyond the provisions of the 13th amendment to the Tamil North-East of Sri Lanka.  

Speaking to Ceylon Today, Mr Premajayanth, said,

“What is the ethnic issue? It is Sampanthan of the Tamil National Alliance who is talking about the ethnic issue. What he wants is North-East integration and to establish autonomy which we will never allow. We are not prepared to give anything beyond 13.”

Sri Lanka's cabinet rejects Tamil demands for federal power sharing solution (31 Jul 2015)

Sri Lankan election commissioner says candidates must affirm commitment to unitary state  (30 Jul 2015)

Sri Lanka denies reaching agreement with UN over domestic investigation

Jul 30, 2015
The Sri Lankan government said responsibility for “the matter of justice and accountability” with regards to investigating human rights violations rests with itself since it was not a signatory to the International Criminal Court, as it denied it had come under pressure to accept any UN conventions.

Speaking at a media briefing on Thursday, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Mahishini Colonne also denied that Sri Lanka had reached an agreement with the United Nations to carry out a purely domestic investigation into allegations of human rights violations committed during the final phase of the armed conflict.

Her remarks came after Channel 4 News revealed an internal UN document outlining a purely domestic process for accountability. “I don’t believe there is any agreement of the nature that the Channel 4 portrays,” said Ms Colonne.

“We are party to certain conventions of the United Nations and we have acceded to those conventions, in our own right as a Sovereign State, not because any pressure excerted (sic) by anyone,” she added. “And even on the questions of accountability,  the 100 days’ work programme, I think under point 93 states  that since we are not a party to the ICC Rome Statute, the matter of justice and accountability  and so on, rest with the country concerned - with the Sri Lankans.”

Sri Lankan troops mark anniversary in East with Buddhist ceremony

Jul 30, 2015

 

Soldiers from Sri Lanka’s 23 Division held a Buddhist religious ceremony at the Security Force Headquarters in the Easter Province, to mark the 25th anniversary of the division last Wednesday.

Buddhist monks were invited to the military base in the Eastern town of Punani, where following a Guard Turnout and Guard of Honour, an all-night Pirith chanting ceremony was held.

 

EU to visit Sri Lanka and decide on fishery ban

Jul 30, 2015

The European Union (EU) will visit Sri Lanka in October in order to assess whether a ban on imports of fish from the island can be lifted, announced the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Mahishini Colonne told a media briefing that the EU Technical Evaluation Team “will engage in technical discussions to regarding measures that have been put in place and future steps for the revocation of the EU ban on fishery products”.

The visit is scheduled to take place from the 5th to the 9th of October.

Shooting at UNP election rally in Colombo

Jul 30, 2015
Unidentified gunmen opened fire at a United National Front campaign rally killing at least one person on Friday, reports Agence France Presse.

The shooting occurred after the Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake spoke on stage at the rally in Colombo.

Speaking to press after the incident, Mr Karunanayake said,

“The gunmen wanted to target me. I was 25 to 30 feet away when this happened. Four guys in a car opened fire at our crowd.”

Sri Lanka's cabinet rejects Tamil demands for federal state power sharing solution

Jul 30, 2015
Sri Lanka’s cabinet spokesperson Rajitha Senaratne reiterated the new government’s stance of rejecting the demands by the Tamil National Alliance for a federal solution to end the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka.

Rejecting a political solution based on federalism Senaratne added that the United National Party (UNP) had always been firm on maintaining the unitary nature of the state.

“It is obvious we don’t agree with their (TNA’s) demands for a federal sate. The United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) is saying that we support a federal system, this is false. They are doing this because they are weak,” he said.

Sri Lankan army to rebuild temples in Nepal

Jul 30, 2015

Sri Lanka’s military will be deployed to Nepal to rebuild temples destroyed in the devastating earthquake, which hit the country in the Himalayas earlier this year.

The government allocated RS345m to the Ministry of Buddhasasana for the rebuilding of the Buddhist temple in Swayambhunath and the Rato Machindranath Hindu temple in Lalitpur.

Cabinet ministers approved the plans earlier today.

Indian firm to build tallest building in Sri Lanka

Jul 30, 2015

An Indian real estate developer is planning to build a 96-floor tower, which would be the tallest building in Sri Lanka.

The structure, worth Rs330m, will be built by Shreepati Edifice (Pvt) Ltd and will be a tribute to the Sri Lankan cricket team who won the World Cup in 1996.

The company signed an agreement with the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka on Wednesday to construct the tower.

550 families remain displaced in Kilinochchi as security forces occupy homes

Jul 30, 2015
Six years since the end of the armed conflict, 550 families remain displaced in Kilinochchi due to the military and police occupying their homes, said the district secretariat this week.

In Karachi divisional secretariat 181 families are affecting, 27 families in Kandavalai divisional secretariat and 342 families in Poonahari divisional secretariat.

A further 257 families in Pachchilaipalli remain displaced due to the presence of landmines.

Wigneswaran urges British MPs to ensure international justice process for Sri Lanka

Jul 30, 2015

The Chief Minister of the Northern Province CV WIgneswaran urged British MPs at the All Party Parliamentary Group For Tamils (APPGT) to avoid supporting any form of domestic inquiry in Sri Lanka, during his visit to the UK earlier this month.

The APPGt in a press release after meeting the chief minister of the Northern Provincial Council said,

Sri Lanka denies reaching agreement with UN over domestic investigation
Sri Lankan troops mark anniversary in East with Buddhist ceremony
EU to visit Sri Lanka and decide on fishery ban
Shooting at UNP election rally in Colombo
Sri Lanka's cabinet rejects Tamil demands for federal state power sharing solution
Sri Lankan army to rebuild temples in Nepal
Indian firm to build tallest building in Sri Lanka
550 families remain displaced in Kilinochchi as security forces occupy homes
Wigneswaran urges British MPs to ensure international justice process for Sri Lanka
Sinhala nationalist organisations rally against federalism
Sri Lanka denies reaching agreement with UN over domestic investigation
Sri Lankan troops mark anniversary in East with Buddhist ceremony
EU to visit Sri Lanka and decide on fishery ban
Shooting at UNP election rally in Colombo
Sri Lanka's cabinet rejects Tamil demands for federal state power sharing solution
Sri Lankan army to rebuild temples in Nepal
Indian firm to build tallest building in Sri Lanka
550 families remain displaced in Kilinochchi as security forces occupy homes
Wigneswaran urges British MPs to ensure international justice process for Sri Lanka
Sinhala nationalist organisations rally against federalism