Tamil Affairs

Tamil News

Latest news from and about the homeland

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Chemmani mass grave toll reaches 366 ahead of ministerial visit
The number of skeletal remains identified at the Chemmani mass grave in Jaffna has risen to 366, as excavators uncovered further remains of children on Tuesday, at one of the largest mass graves unearthed on the island and a site long tied to the enforced disappearance and extrajudicial killing of Tamils by the Sri Lankan military. Six sets of skeletal remains, including those of children,…

EU announces €14 million funds for housing construction in North-East

Jan 23, 2015
The European Union has initiated a €14 million programme for an ‘incremental’ housing project to resettle people displaced in the North East, reports the Sri Lankan Ministry of Defence website.

The scheme is intended to aid the construction of 3,000 incremental owner driven houses and improve the local construction supply chain.

The decision was announced by the EU manager of the Infrastructure and Reconstruction programme of the delegation of the European Union to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, Jaime Royo-Olid during a meeting with the Sri Lankan Minister of resettlement, Reconstruction and Hindu Religious Affairs, DM Swaminathan, on Saturday.

Sri Lanka's disappearances commission requests meeting with new president

Jan 23, 2015
The chairman of the disappearances commission set up by the former president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, has requested a meeting with the new president, Maithripala Sirisena, in order to discuss the future of the commission, reports Colombo Page.

The commission, which was set up on August 15 2003, was extended by Mr Rajapaksa for a six month period, which is due to end on February 15.

The inquiry, which has been severely critiqued by domestic and international NGOs and civil society actors over its lack of independence and witness protection, amongst other aspects, is currently holding public sittings in the North-East.

Gota safe from war crimes probe in Sri Lanka says dep justice minister

Jan 23, 2015
Sri Lanka's deputy minister for justice reiterated that the former defence secretary, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa would be safe from any war crimes inquiry if he stayed within Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka seeks postponement of EU fish import ban

Jan 23, 2015

Sri Lanka's External Affairs Minister Mangala Samaraweera will travel to Brussels on Monday, to seek postponement of the ban on imports of Sri Lankan fisheries products into the European Union.

“We will try to see if we can get a postponement of this ban for at least for six months till we rectify whatever was not correct at ground level,” the Mr Samaraweera told The Sunday Times.

The new government presented a bill in parliament last Tuesday, to amend the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Act to comply with measures to get the ban.

Sri Lanka's new government and the possibility of justice

Jan 22, 2015
 
 


Sri Lanka’s new president, Maithripala Sirisena, has promised to break from the Rajapaksa regime's rule with a 100 day plan of widely welcomed reforms that will ensure good governance, rule of law and judicial independence. However the new government is yet to address the country’s most significant issue in Sri Lanka – that of accountability and justice for wartime mass atrocities in which tens of thousands of Tamils died in the cataclysmic end of the war, and the rights abuses during and after the war.
 

Sri Lanka reconsiders cancellation of Chinese Port City project

Jan 22, 2015

Sri Lanka's new government said it would reconsider its decision to cancel a Chinese construction project on Thursday, stating that it may now "renegotiate" the deal with Chinese officials.

"We can renegotiate with China after reassessing the deal," Sri Lanka's Cabinet spokesperson Rajitha Senarathne was quoted as saying by Reuters.

"We need to see the feasibility study. We need to see the environmental impact assessment (EIA) and reassess the tax concessions given to it and land ownership issues," he reportedly added.

The $1.5 billion development project with a Chinese company was agreed during the former president, Mahinda Rajapaksa's term in office, however it appeared under threat following the recent election, after the new president, Maithripala Sirisena and prime minister, Ranil Wickremasinghe, said they would cancel the deal if elected.

US provided LTTE with weapons, claims Maithri ally

Jan 22, 2015

The leader of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) has claimed that western countries, particularly the US, supported and armed the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), The Island reported.

Anura Kumara Dissanayake, whose JVP is a key ally of the new governing coalition led by President Maithripala Sirisena, said the armed conflict would not have lasted for 30 years, without western support for the LTTE.

Peiris complains of ‘harassment’ by CID, denies coup allegations

Jan 22, 2015

Former external affairs minister, GL Peiris, has complained of “harassment” from the Criminal Investigations Department, who questioned him on the alleged coup former president Mahinda Rajapaksa and his allies are suspected to have planned.

“In the overall context of the current strident emphasis on good governance, I expressed deep regret that I was subjected to this harassment without any semblance of justification,” Mr Peiris said in a statement.

The former minister said Mr Rajapaksa instructed his secretary to facilitate the handover to the new president and “not one word” was uttered about a coup.

New govt to investigate assassination of 2 TNA MPs during Rajapaksa reign

Jan 21, 2015
Sri Lanka's new government announced it would recommence inquiries into the assassination of two Tamil politicians during the former president, Mahinda Rajapaksa's reign - Joseph Pararajasingham, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP for Batticaloa district, who was shot and killed by two gunmen on December 24 2005, whilst he was attending Christmas prayers at the St Mary's church in Batticaloa town, and Nadarajah Raviraj, a TNA MP and human rights lawyer who was assassinated in Colombo by an unidentified gunmen in November 2006.

The assassinations of both politicians, which occurred as the official ceasefire between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was still in place, were widely suspected to have been carried out by government forces, led by the then president, Mr Rajapaksa.

The killing of Tamil political figures, many who were assassinated before Mr Rajapaksa's presidency, remain uninvestigated, including that of the prominent human rights lawyer and leader of the All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC), Kumar Ponnambalam.

Mr Ponnambalam was assassinated in a busy Colombo suburb on January 5 2000, during Chandrika Kumaratunge's government. His killers have never been brought to justice.

Hunger strike continues against water contamination by Chunnakam power plant in Jaffna

Jan 21, 2015

Locals protesting against the leakage of waste heavy fuel oil by Chunnakam power plant in the Jaffna peninsula, continued their hunger strike into the third day today, demanding immediate action against the contamination of local water supplies.

The hunger strike, which included over 60 local doctors, teachers, university lecturers, village groups and Tamil politicians from both main parties, took place by the Chunnakam Sivan Kovil.

"For the last three years, almost 400,000 litres of oil has been leaking from the Chunnakam thermal power station and seeping into local water supplies," one of the organisers, Dr Senthuran told Tamil Guardian.

Sri Lanka's disappearances commission requests meeting with new president
Gota safe from war crimes probe in Sri Lanka says dep justice minister
Sri Lanka seeks postponement of EU fish import ban
Sri Lanka's new government and the possibility of justice
Sri Lanka reconsiders cancellation of Chinese Port City project
US provided LTTE with weapons, claims Maithri ally
Peiris complains of ‘harassment’ by CID, denies coup allegations
New govt to investigate assassination of 2 TNA MPs during Rajapaksa reign
Hunger strike continues against water contamination by Chunnakam power plant in Jaffna
Sirisena's brother appointed as Sri Lanka Telecom chairman
Sri Lanka's disappearances commission requests meeting with new president
Gota safe from war crimes probe in Sri Lanka says dep justice minister
Sri Lanka seeks postponement of EU fish import ban
Sri Lanka's new government and the possibility of justice
Sri Lanka reconsiders cancellation of Chinese Port City project
US provided LTTE with weapons, claims Maithri ally
Peiris complains of ‘harassment’ by CID, denies coup allegations
New govt to investigate assassination of 2 TNA MPs during Rajapaksa reign
Hunger strike continues against water contamination by Chunnakam power plant in Jaffna
Sirisena's brother appointed as Sri Lanka Telecom chairman