Tamil Affairs

Tamil News

Latest news from and about the homeland

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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,…

Systematic and intentional genocide' - PEARL reflects on Black July

Marking 38 years since the horrors of Black July, the People for Equality and Relief for in Lanka (PEARL) renewed calls for justice and reflected on the "indelible impact of this genocide committed against Tamil people."

In a statement, the US-based organisation highlighted that the violent massacres of Black July, which took over 3,000 Tamil lives and forced more than 50,000 Tamils to flee the island, was "systematic and intentional genocide."

38th anniversary of Black July marked across Tamil homeland

Demonstration were carried out in Jaffna, Amparai, Vavuniya and Mannar to mark the 38th anniversary of Black July, paying tribute to the thousands of Tamil lives lost during the state-sponsored anti-Tamil pogroms of 1983.  

British Tamils mark Black July with protest at Downing Street

British Tamils gathered outside Downing Street to mark the 38th anniversary of Black July, when thousands of Tamils were killed by Sinhala mobs backed by the Sri Lankan state. 

 

20 years since the LTTE assault on Katunayake air force base

Today marks 20 years since a team of 14 LTTE commandos infiltrated and attacked the Sri Lankan Air Force Base in Katunayake, destroying several aircraft and causing over US$500 million worth of damage without a single civilian fatality.

Canadian parliamentarians commemorate Black July

Marking the 38th anniversary of the Black July massacre in which over 3,000 Tamils were slaughtered, Canada’s Prime Minister and senior parliamentarians marked the memorial by demanding accountability for human rights abuses in Sri Lanka.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau put out an official statement commemorating the "horrific events".

German Tamils commemorate 38 years since Black July

Marking the 38th anniversary of the Black July massacre in which over 3,000 Tamils were slaughtered, German Tamils gathered in the city centre of Berlin to remember this act of genocide.

After 93 days of detention, 5 Tamils released with no charge

This week a Jaffna court ordered the complete release of five Tamils who had been detained for 93 days after the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID)  notified the court that there were 'no charges to file against them'. 

The five Tamils had been arrested by the TID on charges of 'trying to recreate the LTTE' and had then been subsequently detained for 93 days without charge under the draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). Four of those detained were from Jaffna and one was from Mullaitivu.

Canadian Prime Minister remembers ‘horrific events’ of Black July 

Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, remembered the “victims of the horrific events” of Black July, which took the lives of thousands of Tamils 38 years ago. 

“In July 1983, longstanding tensions and unrest culminated in anti-Tamil pogroms in Colombo and across Sri Lanka, plunging the country into a 26-year-long armed conflict. The conflict killed tens of thousands of people, forced many into exile, and left lasting wounds in communities across the country,” Trudeau said in a statement. 

Protesters mark 38th anniversary of Black July in Jaffna

Protesters in Jaffna marked the 38th anniversary of Black July, the horrific anti-Tamil pogrom of 1983 when thousands of Tamils were killed by Sinhala mobs backed by the then UNP government and state forces. 

Jaffna Municipal Council commemorate Black July

Jaffna Municipal Council marked the 38th anniversary of Black July by paying tribute to the thousands of Tamil lives lost during the anti-Tamil pogrom of 1983. 

Led by Mayor of Jaffna, Visvalingam Manivannan , members lit candles and laid flowers in a tribute to the victims of the brutal violence, where thousands of Tamils were killed by Sinhala mobs backed by the then UNP government and state forces.