Tamil Affairs

Tamil News

Latest news from and about the homeland

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Mannar Urban Council Chairman Daniel Vasanthan has strongly condemned the arrest of Tamil rapper Sangeethsan Ganeskumar under Sri Lanka's Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), stating that the detention reflects a situation where "Tamils do not even have the freedom to sing". Speaking at a media briefing held at the Mannar Urban Council on Friday, Vasanthan criticised the decision to arrest the…

A poet's fearless death - Remembering Puthuvai Ratnathurai

Today marks the 76th birthday of Puthuvai Ratnathurai, an Eelam Tamil Revoluntary Poet, who was in charge of the Tamil Eelam Arts and Cultural Guild. 

Rathnathuai was last seen in the custody of the Sri Lankan military on 18 May 2009 in Mullivaikkal and to date his fate is not known. 

He has written hundreds of poems. Here we publish just one such poem, originally written in Tamil and translated into English by the late Chelva Kanaganayakam.

Sri Lankan police question 6, including former MP, over Prabhakaran’s birthday celebration

At least six people have been interrogated by the Sri Lankan police over the celebration of LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran's birthday outside his childhood home last month, which took place under heavy police surveillance.

Former Northern Provincial Councillor M Shivajilingham and local residents gathered outside the ruins of the LTTE leader's home today to celebrate his birthday on November 26th.

French stamp issued in tribute to slain Tamil diaspora leader Col. Parithi

The Tamil Traditional Network-France, in collaboration with the French postal service La Poste, launched a commemorative stamp in tribute to Nadarajah Mathinthiran, also known as Colonel Parithi, the former leader of the CCTF, who was tragically assassinated in Paris on November 8, 2012. 

Tamils mark 40th year commemoration of Othiyamalai massacre as intelligence officers circle

The 40th anniversary of the tragic Othiyamalai Massacre was commemorated at the memorial in Othiyamalai village, in the Mullaitivu district on Monday, as plainclothes Sri Lankan intelligence officers monitored the event.

This commemoration honoured the 32 Tamil villagers who lost their lives in one of the darkest chapters of the region's history.

Sri Lankan militarisation continues in the Tamil homeland

The Sri Lankan army continues its militarisation of the Tamil homeland through a variety of strategies, from entering schools to building infrastructure for the military - despite a new government coming into power.

Sri Lanka continues to be one of the most militarised countries in the world, with the Tamil homeland in particular suffering from an occupation that infiltrates civilian and cultural places.

Involvement in Tamil schools and communities

The 10th Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment and the 7th Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment hosted lunch programmes for pre-school children in Jaffna.

Mannar MP tells Sri Lankan president to release Tamil land occupied by navy

Member of Parliament from Vanni Selvam Adaikalanathan has written to Sri Lankan president Anura Kumara Dissanayake calling on his government to release several swathes of land in the North-East that are being occupied by Sri Lanka's Navy. 

Sri Lanka's Terrorism Investigation Division summons Tamil woman activist in Trincomalee

Sri Lanka’s Terrorism Investigation Division has summoned Navarathnarasa Anjalidevi, a 60-year-old Tamil female social activist residing in Narayanapuram, Palathadichchenai, for an inquiry scheduled on December 4, 2024.

Sinhalese men amongst those arrested for sharing 'LTTE content' on Facebook

Sri Lanka’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) have arrested at least two Sinhalese men, in a spate of arrests related to the sharing of LTTE-related content on social media. The arrests of the Sinhalese men however come amidst reports that they shared material critical of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and of Tamil nationalism.

Sri Lanka arrests British citizen at Colombo airport claiming alleged fundraising for LTTE

Sri Lankan police have arrested a 43-year-old British citizen for allegedly raising funds for the LTTE, despite having been in the United Kingdom since the organisation was militarily defeated.

Authorities allege the British Tamil man, who fled the island in the wake of the Mullivaikkal genocide in 2009 which saw tens of thousands of Tamils slaughtered by the Sri Lankan state, had been collecting money for the organisation whilst abroad.

Sri Lanka's OMP looks to hire more people despite no progress on disappearances

Despite Sri Lanka's Office of Mission Persons (OMP) failure to address the issue of enforced disappearences on the island. the office has issued a job advertisement for several open positions at the office, calling on individuals to help with victim support, protection and communications.