Culture & Community

Culture & Community

Latest news from and about the homeland

""
  A memorial sports tournament commemorating Colonel Shankar, the Special Commander of the Tamil Eelam Air Force (Sky Tigers) who was killed in an attack carried out by Sri Lankan deep penetration forces in Ottusuddan, Mullaitivu, on 26 September 2001, was held in Switzerland on 7 June 2026. Organised by the Sports Division of the Swiss Tamil Coordinating Committee, the event took…

British University students remember Black July

British University Tamil Societies across London collaborated to hold a Black July remembrance discussion session at the London School of Economics on Monday.

Arappor' documentary launched in Chennai

A film docmenting the wave of student protests that swept across Tamil Nadu was released in Chennai on Sunday, as a packed out crowd gathered to watch its first public screening.

Memories beneath the surface.. #BlackJuly 1983



Although thirty years have passed since the anti-Tamil pogrom of 'Black July' 1983, stories of the thousands of Tamil victims are yet to be unraveled.

The thousands that fled, many not to return for years and decades to come, all too often buried their painful memories as they struggled to make a new life for themselves in new lands as refugees.

Silenced Voices by www.blackjuly1983.com is a noteworthy archive. Yet it is striking that thousands of individual stories, of the many ordinary Tamils, remain unheard.

Thirty years on, these stories are starting to trickle out - even then, not from the victims themselves, but from their friends and loved ones, and most of all, their children and grandchildren.

As the Tamil nation marks this poignant anniversary, we have endeavoured to collate the small snippets of the nation's memories, that have been shared with the world via social media sites.

Despite the time that has passed however, there is little doubt that the personal anguish remains. Whilst those that shared their families' memories were keen for the stories to be heard, many we approached asked that they remain anonymous, out of respect for the deep privacy of their parents and grandparents in relation to their own experiences of Black July.


*Names changed on request, to protect victim's privacy.

Gajan* @Gajan98*, UK :
My parents refuse to talk about the details. But someone warned them, and they fled. When they returned, there was nothing.. #BlackJuly


Selvan Ratnarajah*, Australia:
"30 years ago this day my dad was dragged out of his car in the heart of Colombo whilst a government-incited mob baying for Tamil blood attempted to pour kerosene on him and set him alight. 3 months after the July 1983 pogrom which left up to 3000 Tamils dead and 150,000 homeless, the entire Rajasingham* / Ratnarajah* clan had left Sri Lanka forever and 3 years later I was born in Sydney – still very much a Tamil but an Australian. And that has made all the difference."

Calls From Back Home: Telling the Stories of the War Diaspora

First published in The Aerogram on 17th July 2013. See here for original article. Text reproduced in full below.

Tamil Eelam team departs from 'unforgettable' tournament

Normal 0 false false false EN-GB X-NONE X-NONE -->

Karumpuli Naal marked in Canada

 

 

 
Photographs Tamil Guardian

Canadian Tamils came together on Friday July 5th to mark Karumpuli Naal remembering the lives of the elite LTTE force - the Black Tigers.

 

Tamil Eelam celebrate 3rd place finish after stunning 5-0 victory

Tamil Eelam secured 3rd place at the Tynwald Hill International football tournament in a rampant 5-0 victory against Raetia.

{more}

Tamil Eelam footballers celebrate Isle of Man national day

After a glorious win for Tamil Eelam on Thursday

Tamil Eelam football players arrive in London

Tamil Guardian went to catch up with Tamileelam's UK football players joined by players from Germany and France who arrived on Tuesday. Their teammates from Canada, Italy and Switzerland are expected later this week.

The team welcomes many new faces this year, including a number of professional footballers that have played in the German and Italian football leagues.

Tamil genocide exhibitions held in Canada

A series of mobile exhibitions, portraying the genocide of Tamils, were held in several locations in Canada.