Tamil Affairs

Tamil News

Latest news from and about the homeland

Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake addressed a campaign rally in Vavuniya this week, making a series of pledges ranging from land restitution to “national reconciliation”, ahead of local government elections next month. Dissanayake announced that all lands marked by the Sri Lankan Forest Department using Google Maps—including farmlands and reservoirs—would be re-evaluated and…

Boycott blues

Dismissing the recent boycott of Sri Lankan goods but activists in Tamil Nadu, an official of Sri Lanka's Deputy High Commission to India, drew attention to the lack of an apology from Tamil Nadu state government.

The official added,

Only Parliamentary Select Committee will decide on devolution - Rajapaksa

Any decision of system of devolution will only be determined by a Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) said Sri Lanka's president, Mahinda Rajapaksa:

“I had told Krishna that I had no objection to going beyond the 13th Amendment, and that I had said so earlier too. However, I added that I could not take a decision on the matter arbitrarily."

"The PSC, in which all parties in parliament would be represented, was the best forum to discuss and take a decision on the matter.”

HRW urges UNHRC to act on Sri Lanka during March session

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urged the UN Human Rights Council to act against the continued lack of accountability for abuses committed in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lankan stock exchange ‘second worst in the world’

The Colombo stock exchange, the best-performing stock market of 2009, has slumped to become the second-worst, only just ahead of Bangladesh.

The table, compiled by Bespoke Investment Group, looks at year to date stock market returns for 78 countries.

Sri Lanka’s bourse saw the second biggest loss of -7.94% compared to last year, placing them 77th on the list.

The Island blames the slump on over regulation and quoted brokers as saying that a lack of foreign inflows is also to blame for the lack of growth.

Time to put principles into action at UN Human Rights Council

Louise Arbour, President and CEO of the International Crisis Group and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, writes a piece entitled “Tamils await their peace dividend”, for the Globe and Mail.

Extracts have been reproduced below. See the full piece here.

Sri Lanka’s killing fields are ‘beyond the boundary’

Ahead of the English Cricket team’s planned tour of Sri Lanka in March, former Member of European Parliament Robert Evans has written in the Tribune Magazine, calling on the tour to be cancelled and for a full independent international investigation into war crimes.

See the full piece here. Extracts have been reproduced below.

"The reality is somewhat different and in truth, there is probably no worse or more dangerous time for an England team to travel to this troubled and divided nation."

"The case to cancel the tour is augmented in the light of Jon Snow’s ‘Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields’"

"Despite being faced with the ‘evidence’ in this video, authenticated by the UN, the Sri Lankan Government has dismissed the tapes as fabricated and refuses to initiate a proper investigation or take any action against the accused soldiers."

"But neither the international community nor the International Cricket Council should accept this position... An England cricket team should not tour a country where the Government stands accused of such appalling atrocities and refuses to investigate them."

"Apologists for apartheid claimed then that politics and sport were completely separate, and that the internal politics of South Africa were nothing to do with cricket. Nelson Mandela being imprisoned for 27 years because for the colour of his skin was not for some, a reason to isolate South Africa from international cricket."

"Fast forward forty years and there are few people who will argue that Mike Gatting, Graham Gooch and their rebel tours helped the cause. Likewise those who condone apartheid today are silent, dangerous and very few in number."

"In the light of this international condemnation, it would be naive and provocative at the very least, for Andrew Strauss or anyone else to lead an England team to play tests in Colombo and Galle. With perhaps as many as six of the possible England team being South African born, the politics and sport arguments will be familiar to them."

Never promised 13+ says Rajapaksa

Sri Lanka's president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, has flatly denied that he ever told India's external affairs secretary, SM Krishna, that he would go beyond the 13th Amendment in the constitution.

When asking by a journalist Monday, Rajapaksa reportedly said,

Sri Lanka to host England on ‘sub-standard’ cricket pitch

The venue of the first test match of England’s upcoming tour of Sri Lanka is currently without water or electricity.

The stadium’s curator, Jayananda Warnaweera, said that supplies were cut off after bills were left unpaid by the Sri Lankan cricket board (SLC), which is under severe financial pressure.

"Yes there has been an issue due to the financial crisis faced by the SLC. We discussed it with the SLC and I hope it will be settled by Tuesday," he told the BBC Sinhala service.

Sri Lankan Army General alleges war crimes in New York affidavit

A former Sri Lankan Army general has given an affidavit in New York alleging that the extrajudicial killing of civilians, surrendering cadres and dissident journalists were all organised by the Sri Lankan Government.

The allegations were from a former general, who US news organisation Truthout as someone who was “extremely well-placed to comment on military activity” and “had high-level security clearance and access to the flow of orders during the final days of the conflict”.

Indian activists protest against Sri Lankan minister

Activists in India, carrying black flags and shouting slogans against the Sri Lankan government and the president, protested against Senthil Thondaman - Sri Lanka's sports and youth affairs minister and the provincial council member of Uva - during his visit to Tamil Nadu. 

The incident occurred by the Thirunallar Temple in Pondicherry. The group of around twenty activists are believed to be members of the the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi.