Tamil Affairs

Tamil News

Latest news from and about the homeland

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…

Tamil diaspora accused of funding 'insulting' film

The Director of the Media Centre for National Security in Sri Lanka, Lakshman Hulugalla described a film that recently halted a French festival in Sri Lanka as insulting to the government and its Security forces.

Sri Lanka considering nuclear pact with Pakistan, snubbing India – paper

The Hindustan Times has reported that Sri Lanka is moving towards a nuclear agreement with Pakistan.

The paper reports that although India has proposed a similar pact, Sri Lanka was “dragging its feet” by not scheduling talks, after initial discussions last October, subsequent to which Delhi sent Colombo a draft pact.

TNA appoints C.V. Wigneswaran as NPC candidate

C.V. Wigneswaran, a former Supreme Court judge, has been appointed as the Tamil National Alliance's Chief Minister candidate for the upcoming Northern Provincial Council election.

In a statement, the TNA leader R. Sampanthan said:

"It was unanimously resolved that the candidate for the position of Chief Minister at the forthcoming Provincial Council elections for the Northern Province would be Mr. C V Wigneswaran, a retired judge of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka,"

French film festival halted

The French Film Festival in Colombo was halted after the screening of an internationally-acclaimed film that the Sri Lankan military considered insulting.

A defence ministry official told reporters that the film, "Flying Fish" had been banned in Sri Lanka saying:

"It's an illegal film which insults the security forces and the government of Sri Lanka,"

Solution within unitary state is 'unfeasible' say diaspora youth

In a joint policy statement published on Monday, eight young Tamil activists from the UK, Germany, Australia and Canada reiterated the call for Tamil sovereignty "to be the basis of a principled minimal demand of the Eelam Tamil nation", and asserted that "a solution for the Eelam Tamil nation within a Sri Lankan unitary state is unfeasible".

Citing a "need for greater transparency regarding the policy decisions taken by diaspora organisations", the youth said that "Tamil organisations and activists must be held accountable to the democractic will of the people".

Commonwealth Lawyers Association call for CHOGM venue change

The Commonwealth Lawyers Association, whilst calling for a venue change, questioned the validity of holding the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Sri Lanka, in an interview today.

Sri Lanka ready to face ‘LTTE propaganda’ during CHOGM

Senior government officials have told The Sunday Island that international media, including Channel 4, would not be barred from attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in November.

SL deputy High Commission receives bomb threats

Sri Lanka's Deputy High Commission in Chennai has stepped up security after officials received bomb threats via a letter, reports Hirunews.lk.

According to officials, a postcard warned that bombs would go off at the mission, and condemned the Sri Lankan government's activities.

The Chennai police's cyber crime wing will be investigating the incident.

"Firstly, we need to secure the Tamil nation from the ongoing genocide" - Gajendrakumar

Speaking to The Weekend Leader, the leader of the Tamil National Peoples' Front (TNPF), Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, explained his reasons for calling for a Transitional Administration in the North-East, stating that "firstly, we need to secure the Tamil Nation from the ongoing Genocide."

See here for part 1 of the interview, extract reproduced below:

Jayalalithaa calls for ‘bold stand’ from India

Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister Jayalalithaa has called upon India’s central government to "take a bold stand in support of (Sri) Lankan Tamils" and stated that the aspirations of Tamils on the island could only be realised through an independent state.