Tamil Affairs

Tamil News

Latest news from and about the homeland

Sri Lanka’s Defence Secretary, Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha, met with Pakistan’s Defence Minister, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, in Islamabad this week on the sidelines of the 5th Sri Lanka-Pakistan Bilateral Defence Dialogue, the Sri Lankan government announced. The meeting took place on Tuesday 29 April, the second day of the three-day dialogue, which aims to enhance defence cooperation…

Nainativu residents protest against Sri Lankan police bias following worker dispute

Residents of Nainativu staged a protest in Iranguthurai, accusing the police of bias after eight workers were arrested following a dispute at the jetty

Dissanayake pledges land restitution and 'reconciliation' during Vavuniya rally

Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake addressed a campaign rally in Vavuniya this week, making a series of pledges ranging from land restitution to “national reconciliation”, ahead of local government elections next month.

Families of the disappeared protest in Kilinochchi, marking 2,984 days of unanswered grief

Families of the forcibly disappeared protest in Kilinochchi, demanding justice after 2,984 days of unanswered grief

Mullaitivu landowners call for return of Navy-occupied lands

Landowners in Mullaitivu’s Vadduvakal area urge the Sri Lankan government to return lands seized by the Navy, reclaiming their livelihood and heritage

Journalists protest to mark 20 years since Sivaram’s assassination 

Sivaram memorial commemoration

Journalists and civil society members gathered in Jaffna today to mark the 20th anniversary of the assassination of renowned Tamil journalist and editor Dharmeratnam "Taraki" Sivaram, amid reports of intimidation and surveillance by Sri Lankan police and intelligence services.

Sri Lankan minister’s driver assaults Tamil fisherman during visit

A Fishermen's Association chairman in Mullaitivu was assaulted by a driver accompanying Minister Ramalingam Chandrasekaran during a campaign visit on April 24th

Heavy security as Sri Lankan president pledges land release in Mullaitivu

Sri Lankan president Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s visit to Puthukudiyiruppu in Mullaitivu yesterday for local election campaigning saw an intense security clampdown across the district, with heavy deployment of armed forces and police.

Sri Lankan government announces reconstruction of Vadduvakal Bridge

Sri Lanka’s Minister of Transport, Highways, Ports, and Civil Aviation, Bimal Rathnayake, announced this week that the design phase for a new bridge across the Nandikadal Lagoon in Mullaitivu has been completed, with construction due to commence soon.

Jaffna Teaching Hospital demands release of Sri Lankan military-occupied land

The Acting Director of the Jaffna Teaching Hospital, C. Jamunanantha, has issued a renewed appeal for the release of 1.4 acres of land under Sri Lankan military occupation in the Kottady–Meenatchipuram area, stressing the urgent need for the land to support the hospital’s expansion and development.

Sri Lankan police officer remanded for unlawful entry into Tamil woman's home in Jaffna

A Sri Lankan police officer stationed at Jaffna Police Station has been remanded after allegedly forcing his way into a young Tamil woman's home and acting in an unruly manner, in yet another troubling incident highlighting ongoing concerns over police misconduct in the Tamil North-East.