Tamil Affairs

Tamil News

Latest news from and about the homeland

Hundreds march in Kilinochchi against limestone, sand mining and wind turbines
A protest march was held last month opposing limestone excavation, mineral sand mining and a proposed wind power project across the villages of Veravil, Valaipadu, Ponnaveli and Kiranchi, in the Poonakary Divisional Secretariat division of Kilinochchi. The demonstration was organised against plans to establish wind power stations and to carry out mineral sand and limestone extraction in the…

Jayalalithaa to boycott Modi's swearing-in ceremony

May 25, 2014
09:59 BST

The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, is to boycott the swearing in ceremony of the Prime Minister designate, Narendra Modi, due to take place later today, in protest against the presence of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Indian newspapers report. (See NDTV, Times of India, and The Hindu).

According to the papers, she will not be sending a party representative of her party, AIADMK either.

Jayalalithaa's counterparts in Karnataka and Kerala, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, and Chief Minister Oommen Chandy respectively, will also be absent citing prior engagements, the Deccan Chronicle reported.

Moviestar Rajinikanth will not attend Modi's swearing-in ceremony - NDTV

May 25, 2014
The widely popular moviestar, Rajinikanth will not be attending Narendra Modi's swearing in ceremony, reports NDTV.

Whilst the actor said he will be on a film set in Hyderabad, his decision comes amidst increasing criticism and protests over the presence of the Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa at the ceremony.

In the run up to the election, Mr Modi met with Rajinikanth in his home in Chennai.

Vaiko protests Rajapaksa's visit, detained

May 25, 2014
10:30 BST

Photographs @MDMKIW

The leader of the MDMK, Vaiko, was detained after holding a black flag protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, against the visit of Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa at the swearing-in ceremony of Narendra Modi, reports PTI.

Addressing fellow protesters today, Vaiko said Rajapaksa's presence would "pollute the sanctity" of the swearing-in ceremony. Vaiko was subsequently detained for 'defying prohibitory orders'.


In Memoriam - Songs from the Purananuru - Song 112

May 25, 2014
During this month of May, as Tamils remember their loved ones that were killed as the armed conflict ended in 2009, we publish selected Poems from the classical Tamil anthology, the Purananuru (the 400 Puram poems) as we have done in previous years.

Song 112 - Pari’s daughters sing (on the death of Pari)
Tinai - Potuviyal (General heroism)

That month

That month
In that white moonlight

Profiles of May 2009: Theeban

May 25, 2014

The following account is written by a second generation Tamil from London who was involved in organising the prolonged protest on Parliament Square in Westminster during April and May 2009, the bloody end of Sri Lanka's armed conflict. Theeban (not his real name), then in his early twenties, was studying at a London university. Names have been changed in order to protect the identity of individuals not already within the public domain.

I went into university that Sunday morning, April 5th 2009, for what was supposed to be the first day of revision for my finals a month or so later, and read the news. The last areas held by the LTTE that weren’t in a safe zone had been captured by the Sri Lankan military and the Tamil fighters were now trapped in the safe zone, alongside the civilians.

I knew then I wasn’t going to get any revision done. I think a lot of people at the time, including myself, were just waiting for the moment the LTTE would launch a counter-offensive. I guess, that’s when I first realised that there’s not going to be the miraculous military recovery as we had expected.

Army conducts workshop for Kilinochchi schoolchildren

May 25, 2014
The Sri Lankan Army held a workshop for schoolchildren in Kilinochchi on Saturday, to “enlighten students” on telecommunication, according to their website.

Troops from the 9 Sri Lanka Signal Corps organised the event, which was attended by senior military commanders, including Major General Sudantha Ranasinghe, Commander of the Sri Lankan Security Forces in Kilinochchi.


Schoolchildren stand as the Major General enters the venue...

... and takes his seat alongside other senior military figures at the front of the hall.

Rajapaksa announces social media to come under government watch

May 24, 2014
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa declared that social media on the island is to come under closer scrutiny from the government, whilst speaking in Shangai last week.

Rajapaksa had told the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) that,
“We witnessed the corrupt use of social media to create domestic unrest and cyber crime. Youth have been targeted and they became pawns of misplaced agendas. These are dangerous trends that need to be arrested and addressed effectively through this forum.”

Rajapaksa orders release Indian fishermen ahead of controversial visit

May 24, 2014
The Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has ordered the release of Indian fishermen detained within Sri Lankan jails, ahead of his attendance at the swearing in ceremony of the Indian Prime Minister designate, Narendra Modi.

"As a goodwill measure on the occasion of @narendramodi's swearing-in, President instructs officials to release Indian fishermen in custody," Rajapaksa's official twitter account tweeted this morning.

According to the Indian news channel, NDTV, the move is being seen as an attempt to counter the controversy and back lash in Tamil Nadu over Rajapaksa's invitation.

Welcoming the decision, Mr. Modi later tweeted: "I welcome the step by Sri Lanka & Pakistan to release our fishermen. I welcome our fishermen brothers back home!"

Namal Rajapaksa oversees Sinhala settlements in Vavuniya

May 24, 2014
The President's son, Namal Rajapaksa, was in Vavuniya today, overseeing the development of recently built Sinhala settlements.

Sinhalese name board of Namalgama village in Vavuniya

The state's settlement of 2500 Sinhala families from the island's South into Vavuniya, a region within the Tamil areas of the North and East of the island, began in February last year and was inaugurated by Namal Rajapaksa.


TNA calls on Modi to act on injustices faced by Tamils in North-East

May 23, 2014
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) called on India's Prime Minister designate Narendra Modi to take action against the continuing injustices faced by Tamils in the North-East, in a letter today, addressed to Mr. Modi.

Highlighting the Sri Lankan government's on-going crimes against the Tamil people, including forced displacement, state sponsored resettlement of Sinhala families into the North-East, destruction of religious and cultural sites, impeding the functioning of the Northern Provincial Council, militarisation of the North-East, and the lack of equality before the law afforded to Tamils, Mr. Sampanthan said "these actions of the Sri Lankan government undermine all efforts towards reconciliation, permanent peace and harmony, and further create an environment that could promote hostility".

He added: "These actions of the Sri Lankan government are clearly indicative of a lack of genuine commitment on the part of the Sri Lankan government to evolve an acceptable political solution."

Moviestar Rajinikanth will not attend Modi's swearing-in ceremony - NDTV
Vaiko protests Rajapaksa's visit, detained
In Memoriam - Songs from the Purananuru - Song 112
Profiles of May 2009: Theeban
Army conducts workshop for Kilinochchi schoolchildren
Rajapaksa announces social media to come under government watch
Rajapaksa orders release Indian fishermen ahead of controversial visit
Namal Rajapaksa oversees Sinhala settlements in Vavuniya
TNA calls on Modi to act on injustices faced by Tamils in North-East
Congress sides with Tamil Nadu over Modi's Rajapaksa invite
Moviestar Rajinikanth will not attend Modi's swearing-in ceremony - NDTV
Vaiko protests Rajapaksa's visit, detained
In Memoriam - Songs from the Purananuru - Song 112
Profiles of May 2009: Theeban
Army conducts workshop for Kilinochchi schoolchildren
Rajapaksa announces social media to come under government watch
Rajapaksa orders release Indian fishermen ahead of controversial visit
Namal Rajapaksa oversees Sinhala settlements in Vavuniya
TNA calls on Modi to act on injustices faced by Tamils in North-East
Congress sides with Tamil Nadu over Modi's Rajapaksa invite