Tamil Affairs

Tamil News

Latest news from and about the homeland

Jaffna LGBTQIA+ community holds fifth annual Pride Walk
The LGBTQIA+ community in Jaffna held their fifth annual Pride Walk, under the theme  “We Exist For Each Other".  The walk, organised by the Jaffna Transgender Network, began outside the iconic Jaffna Public Library and proceeded along Hospital Road and Pannai Road before ending at Jaffna Fort.  Members of the LGBTQIA+ community, human rights activists, civil society…

SL Navy arrests 27 Tamil Nadu fishermen

Dec 10, 2014
The Sri Lankan navy arrested 27 fishermen from Tamil Nadu on Wednesday night, on alleged poaching charges, reports DNA Analysis.

The 27 were arrested along with six boats. According to the Assistant Director of Fisheries Department, Sekar, the Sri Lankan navy personnel destroyed the fishermen's nets.

The fishermen were later released following a warning, PTI reported.

Buddhist monks invoke blessings for Sri Lanka 'war heroes'

Dec 10, 2014


Over 300 Buddhist monks came together to invoke blessings for the Sri Lankan army, air force and navy, at a meeting attended by the Defence Secretary, Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Wednesday.

Sirisena denies pact with TNA amid reports of private endorsement

Dec 10, 2014
The common opposition presidential candidate, Maithripala Sirisena, this week denied that he had entered any pact with the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), as both sides attempted to distance themselves from the Tamil political party ahead of the election on January 8.

"We signed only one agreement at the Viharamahadevi Park and all other understandings are based on it," Sirisena told media heads, adding that he had not signed any individual agreements. Stating that he had met with members of the TNA to discuss the election, Sirisena stressed that no pact had been made.

Reports of the TNA leadership having decided to endorse the common opposition candidate continued on Thursday however, with sources close to the TNA leadership stating that the party's endorsement of Sirisena was deliberately being kept private.

"The TNA will only go public about their support of Sirisena 2-3 days before the election," a source told the Tamil Guardian on Thursday evening.

"A Sirisena-TNA pact would mean the Sinhalese will vote for Mahinda, like they did last time," he added. 

Rape, land grabs and militarisation destroying Tamil life in North-East - Chief Minister

Dec 10, 2014
The Tamil people in the North-East face genocide the Northern Provincial Council Chief Minister warned that Tamils face genocide, at a youth conference in Jaffna on Wednesday, the Uthayan reports.

Speaking at the Weerasingham hall in Jaffna, despite military attempts to stop youth from attending the conference, CV Wigneswaran said, that rape, sexual assaults, land grabs, and military interference in the economy were destroying the everyday lives of Tamil people in the North-East.  

Condemning the state destruction of Tamil identity, he added that religious and cultural sites for Tamils in the North-East were being destroyed and replaced by religious sites. The new religous sites were only relevant to the military that was stationed in the area, added the chief minister.

Commenting on allegations that he had prevented the Northern Provincial Council from passing a resolution calling for an end to the genocide of Tamils, the Northern Provincial Council Chief Minister, said,

"I was accused of preventing NPC members from passing a motion regarding genocide, but the reason for that is not that I deny that it is happening."

NGOs call on Australia to halt deportation of asylum seekers to Sri Lanka

Dec 9, 2014
Amnesty International, the Human Rights Law Centre and Human Rights Watch called on foreign governments to pressure Sri Lanka into releasing a group of 37 refugees who were forcibly deported by Australian authorities.

In a joint press release, the non-governmental organisations also stated the international community should urge Australia to monitor the safety of the deported asylum seekers, stating that it had “violated its obligations under international law.”

Elaine Pearson, Australia director at Human Rights Watch, said “Australia’s actions in the Indian Ocean show the yawning gap between its practices and international legal principles... Australia shouldn’t ignore the well-documented and politically motivated torture, rape, and ill-treatment of many men and women detained by Sri Lankan security forces.”

Thousands of Tamils killed 'under our eyes' says UN Genocide Prevention advisor

Dec 9, 2014
The UN Advisor on the Prevention of Genocide, Adama Dieng, said that the killing of thousands of Tamils during the end of the armed conflict in 2009, was the "failure of the international community", during a press briefing on Tuesday.

This "led to the killing of thousands of them [Tamils] under our eyes" he added, when asked by the journalist, Matthew Russell Lee whether the atrocities committed against the Tamil people, before, during and after May 2009, met the criteria for genocide.

Tamil women's rights crucial for liberation struggle says TNPF

Dec 9, 2014


The Tamil National People's Front (TNPF) called for an end to violence against women and gender equality within Tamil society as crucial for the struggle for the Tamil nation's liberation from Sri Lankan state oppression to succeed.

Endorsing the UN Secretary-General’s UNiTE to End Violence against Women campaign, the TNPF together with local civil society organisations called for the Tamil nation to look introspectively and address prevalent issues of gender based violence, such as domestic violence.


"We will only be able to succeed in our struggle for liberation, the day we treat Tamil women as equals," said the TNPF President Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam.

Tamils outside Sri Lanka will not be allowed to cast votes – Minister

Dec 9, 2014

Sri Lankan Minister of Youth Affairs Dullas Allaha told journalists on Tuesday that Tamils who have migrated will never be granted the opportunity to cast votes in the election, as they would help to grow the LTTE movement in the country.

Tissa Attanayake warns of Maithripala pact with 'extremist' TNA

Dec 9, 2014

The former General Secretary of the UNP, Tissa Attanayake, has warned that the common opposition candidate Maithripala Sirisena has signed an agreements with the Tamil National Alliance, despite its “extremist” policies, reported the DailyMirror.

“I have serious doubts about the MOUs signed with different extremist groups such as the TNA, JHU and the JVP. The common opposition will be obliged to satisfy the extremist Tamil groups and the Tamil Diaspora. These pledges are extremely dangerous for the national security and the sovereignty of the country. We do not know what the opposition has promised but we have a right to know,” Attanayake said.

“The opposition was a coalition of strange bedfellows who profess different extremist policies. I do not understand how the JHU, TNA and the JVP can campaign to achieve a common objective.”

Attanayake, who is backing Mahinda Rajapaksa in the presidential election next month, says he joined the incumbent’s camp to “save” the UNP from those who had “hijacked” his party.

Army stops youths from attending conference in Jaffna

Dec 9, 2014
The Sri Lankan military blocked youth from across the North-East from attending a conference for the ‘Association of Friendship and Love’ (AFRIEL) organised in Jaffna, reports Uthayan.

Soldiers at a military checkpoint in Poonakari questioned those travelling from Mannar for more than an hour and half, whilst others were contacted on their mobiles and warned against participating in the event.

AFRIEL’s central committee member Ravendra De Silva said the Sri Lanka army and military intelligence had placed pressure on the organisers to stop the event, interfering with attempts to book a venue as well as having a heavy military presence on the day of the conference. Thousands of youth failed to attend following this military intimidation said De Silva.
Buddhist monks invoke blessings for Sri Lanka 'war heroes'
Sirisena denies pact with TNA amid reports of private endorsement
Rape, land grabs and militarisation destroying Tamil life in North-East - Chief Minister
NGOs call on Australia to halt deportation of asylum seekers to Sri Lanka
Thousands of Tamils killed 'under our eyes' says UN Genocide Prevention advisor
Tamil women's rights crucial for liberation struggle says TNPF
Tamils outside Sri Lanka will not be allowed to cast votes – Minister
Tissa Attanayake warns of Maithripala pact with 'extremist' TNA
Army stops youths from attending conference in Jaffna
No solution offered to Tamils by either candidate - TNA
Buddhist monks invoke blessings for Sri Lanka 'war heroes'
Sirisena denies pact with TNA amid reports of private endorsement
Rape, land grabs and militarisation destroying Tamil life in North-East - Chief Minister
NGOs call on Australia to halt deportation of asylum seekers to Sri Lanka
Thousands of Tamils killed 'under our eyes' says UN Genocide Prevention advisor
Tamil women's rights crucial for liberation struggle says TNPF
Tamils outside Sri Lanka will not be allowed to cast votes – Minister
Tissa Attanayake warns of Maithripala pact with 'extremist' TNA
Army stops youths from attending conference in Jaffna
No solution offered to Tamils by either candidate - TNA