Tamil Affairs

Tamil News

Latest news from and about the homeland

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  The lawyer representing detained Tamil rapper Sangeethsan Ganeskumar challenged allegations that his client sought to revive the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) during proceedings before the Jaffna Magistrate's Court this week, arguing that the material cited by police contains no reference to the organisation or its leadership. Sangeethsan, better known by his stage name…

Senior US official to visit Sri Lanka next week

The US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Nisha Biswal is due to arrive in Sri Lanka on an official visit on Tuesday.

Ms Biswal will meet Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera , before meeting the newly elected Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. President Maithripala Sirisena will also meet the US official, The Sunday Times reported.

Post-election violence in North-East

The election monitoring group PAFFREL says that the North-East has seen the highest number of post-election violence on the island.

However, Executive Director Rohana Hettiarachchi  also stated that there was no increase in violence compared to previous elections.

Police spokesperson ASP Ruwan Gunasekara said that 21 suspects were arrested during the post election period.

TNPF urges TNA to push for federal solution

The leader of the Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF), Gajen Ponnambalam has congratulated the Tamil National Alliance on their victories in the general election and has offered his party’s support for any future efforts in reaching a political federal solution for the Tamil people.


Speaking to journalists at the Jaffna Press Club, Mr Ponnambalam said that despite challenges faced by the party, TNPF would not be wavering from their party line.

“Tamil nationalism must be preserved,” Mr Ponnambalam said, “protecting this nationalism is not terrorism. We have not changed our view that what is happening to the Tamil nation today is genocide. We are continuing to work to protect the Tamil nation.”

TNA pledges to uphold people's mandate for political solution

The Tamil National Alliance will use their election victories to push for a political solution for Tamils according to senior members.

In a special ‘victory statement’, the newly elected MP M. A. Sumanthiran said that he would uphold the mandate given him by the people, “while spending every breath to reach a political solution for our national problem, I will also participate in fulfilling the immediate needs of the people and in strengthening our youth.”

“The Tamil people cannot face anymore losses,” Mr Sumanthiran said. “Our youth can no longer be destroyed in their masses.”

The party leader, R Sampanthan also said that the TNA would waste no time in pushing for a political solution based on its election manifesto.

"Once the new parliament has been formed, based on our election manifesto, we have resolved to address matters to be fulfilled regarding a political solution and the people's immediate needs without any delay," Mr Sampanthan told reporters shortly after news of the party's election victory at Monday's general election.

In its election manifesto, released last month, the TNA called for a political solution that merged the North and Eastern provinces and devolved powers of land, law and order, socio-economic development, cultural affairs and domestic and foreign fiscal powers and direct foreign investment in the North-East under a federal structure.

Tamil detainees go on hunger strike

Tamil detainees in Anuradhapura prison have gone on hunger strike, in protest at mistreatment after the election results were announced and demanding a transfer to prisons near their native towns in the Tamil regions of the island.

The 49 detainees were locked in a small cell and were refused access to sanitary facilities and were given small tin cans to relieve themselves.

Ranil sworn in as Sri Lanka's prime minister for the 4th time

Photographs Ranil Wickremesinghe's Facebook page


Ranil Wickremesinghe, the leader of the United National Party (UNP) was sworn in on Friday as Sri Lanka's prime minister, following the party's election victory this week.

This would be the fourth time Mr Wickremesinghe has served that position. He was previously appointed in 1993, following the assassination of the former president Ranasinghe Premadasa, then in 2001 when the the UNP led coalition won the parliamentary elections, and finally in January this year, when President Sirisena appointed Mr Wickremesinghe as prime minister.

SLFP and UNP sign MoU for unity government

The United National Party (UNP) and the Sri Lankan Freedom Party (SLFP) signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Friday outlining their commitment to a unity government in Sri Lanka till the next election.

Following the swearing in ceremony of Ranil Wickremesinghe as Sri Lanka's prime minister, the UNP general secretary Kabir Hashim and the SLFP's acting general secretary Duminda Dissanayake signed the MoU, which was written entirely in Sinhala. Find it here

Australia congratulates Sri Lankan PM

Australia's foreign minister, Julie Bishop, on Friday, congratulated the United National Party leader, Ranil Wickremesinghe on being elected as Sri Lanka's prime minister at Monday's general election.

“Australia has a close and long-standing bilateral relationship with Sri Lanka. We are working closely with Sri Lanka to grow trade and investment and increase cooperation on security and transnational crime, particularly countering people smuggling,” she said in a statement.

"We will continue to support Sri Lanka as it makes progress on national reconciliation," she further added.

Tamil nation must ensure TNA holds true to elected mandate - JS Tissainayagam

It is up to the Tamil public, civil society and diaspora to ensure that the Tamil National Alliance remains true to the mandate given by the voters, said exiled Tamil journalist J.S. Tissainayagam on Friday.

Writing in the Asian Correspondent Mr Tissainayagam noted Tamil discontent at ambiguous aspects of the Tamil National Alliance’s manifesto, and called on,

“Tamil voters, Tamil civil society – especially organisations such as the Tamil Civil Society Forum – and the Tamil diaspora to keep the TNA accountable and not deviate from its policy statements declared before elections.”

Notorious SLFP Jaffna candidate put on national list after election loss

The SLFP's Jaffna organiser Angayan Ramanathan was selected as a national list member of parliament by the UPFA, after failing to be elected in the district.

Mr Ramanathan is suspected to have been behind attacks and abductions as he carried out the Rajapaksa brothers' bidding while the SLFP was in power before January this year.

Mahinda Rajapaksa's former human rights advisor Mahinda Samarasinghe was also selected as a national list MP after failing to get elected.