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…

SL highlights the risk of 'terrorist' NGO's

Speaking at the on-going United Nations Human Rights Council sessions in Geneva, the Sri Lankan delegation highlighted the importance of mandatory regulations that ensured that fund transfers of International Non-governmental Organisations (NGO’s) and Non-profit Organisations (NPO), should be monitored to prevent the financing of terrorism, money laundering or other related trans-national crimes.

Ruling coalition party to campaign against PC land & police powers

A coalition party of the Sri Lankan government, the National Freedom Front (NFF), vowed to launch a campaign to demand that the proposed Northern Provincial Council election not be held before land and police powers were removed from the constitutional framework.

Speaking at a press conference, NFF member Piyasiri Wijenayake said that after getting blessings from a Buddhist monk, the party would launch the campaign, collecting signatures from several key towns during 3rd to 12th of June.

Wijenayake said:

US limited training with SL due to ‘human rights abuses’

The United States limited ‘counterterrorism cooperation and training’ with Sri Lanka in 2012 due to allegations of human rights abuses, according to the State Department’s ‘Country Reports on Terrorism 2012‘, which was released on Thursday.

In the overview on Sri Lanka, the report stated,

TNA MP rejects unitary state structure

Tamil National Alliance MP Mavai Senathirajah has said he does not believe a solution will be found under a unitary state.

“Under a unitary rule, it is not possible to find solutions to the national question. Power sharing under a unitary system is questionable in today’s context of domination by Buddhist extremists,” he said while speaking at the Jaffna Press Institute on Thursday.

UN urges UK to halt deportations of Tamil asylum seekers

The United Nations Committee Against Torture, expressed serious concern with the regards to the British government’s forced removal of failed asylum seekers to Sri Lanka, in a report released on Friday.

China loans $2.2 billion to Sri Lanka

China has offered $2.2 billion in loans to Sri Lanka for infrastructure projects, as well as agreeing to sign a free trade agreement and enhance military ties, after talks during a 4-day visit by Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his delegation.

Reuters reported Sri Lankan Foreign Minister G.L. Peiris, as saying,

Sinhala Buddhist group to fast unto death to 'safeguard rights of Sinhalese'

The Sinhala Buddhist group, Sinhala Ravaya, pledged to fast unto death in order to safeguard the rights of Sinhalese, reports ColomboPage.

The group said they would be demanding that the government abolition the 13th Amendment, guarantee Sinhala ownership in Northern and Eastern provinces, introduce a constitution founded on Buddhist law, halt animal slaughter, reject an 'all religion' concept, close all liquor stores, stop the conversion of Buddhists to other religions and 'eradicate' Muslim terrorism.

Pune to host athletic championship after Chennai protests

Asia's Athletic Championship has been moved to the northern Indian city of Pune, after Tamil Nadu's capital Chennai refused to host the event earlier this year.

Another Tamil politician summoned by TID

Yet another Tamil politician has been summoned by Sri Lanka’s Terrorist Investigation Department (TID) earlier this week, with Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Parliamentarian, Appathurai Vinayagamoorthy being called for questioning.

Vinayagamoorthy’s call for interrogaition makes him the fourth TNA Parliamentarian to be summoned, with TNA MP’s S. Sritharan, Suresh Premachandran and Siva shakthi Anandan having previously been called, reported Ceylon Today.

China to supply Sri Lanka’s first satellite

A Chinese company will provide Sri Lanka’s first communications satellite, after a contract was signed in the presence of President Xi-Jinping and President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The deal is part of an agreement to expand bilateral trade, investment and cooperation in agriculture, space technology and infrastructure, said news.lk.