Tamil Affairs

Tamil News

Latest news from and about the homeland

Jaffna LGBTQIA+ community holds fifth annual Pride Walk
The LGBTQIA+ community in Jaffna held their fifth annual Pride Walk, under the theme  “We Exist For Each Other".  The walk, organised by the Jaffna Transgender Network, began outside the iconic Jaffna Public Library and proceeded along Hospital Road and Pannai Road before ending at Jaffna Fort.  Members of the LGBTQIA+ community, human rights activists, civil society…

Sri Lanka expands prison intelligence service

Jun 14, 2012
The Sri Lankan government has declared that they are to recruit and deploy more intelligence officers in prisons, as the government further expands intelligence services.

Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Rehabilitation and Prison Reforms have announced that they will recruit 160 new intelligence officers, with some to be deployed into prisons in civilian clothing.

In addition, four new prison department commissioners have also been appointed.

Decades of expropriation stifling entrepreneurship

Jun 13, 2012

Addressing a business foum organised by Sri Lanka's division of the UK Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, the chair of Laugfs Holdings, criticised the on-going practice of expropriation by successive governments.

The chair, W.K.H. Wegapitiya said:

"We have done lot of blunders and it's still happening,"

Reggae band ‘Big Mountain’ boycotts Sri Lanka over 'systematic violence'

Jun 13, 2012

Picture: UT San Diego

The American reggae band ‘Big Mountain’ have refused an invitation to perform at a reggae festival in Sri Lanka, citing concerns over “systemic violence” towards “indigenous populations” in the country.

The band stated that whilst they were keen to spread their message of peace, a performance in the country at such a time would serve to “gloss over or legitimate” their concerns of violence that transpired during the war in the country.

In a statement published on their Facebook site yesterday, the group said:

"We are declining this invitation, however, due to our concern with the violence that has transpired there as of late and that has been described as part of Sri Lanka’s “civil war.” 

"Whilst we would be honored to help convey a message of peace and reconciliation, we also feel that to play a concert of this type, at this moment in time, would help to gloss over or legitimate conditions of systemic violence that have transpired in that region and towards indigenous populations in particular."

Cancer specialist's home attacked - Jaffna

Jun 13, 2012

The home of Dr Jeyakumar, a cancer specialist at the Jaffna Teaching Hospital, was attacked a masked gang on Wednesday night, reports TamilNet.

See here for article on TamilNet and photographs of the crime scene.

The gang entered the house, smashing windows and destroying the place, before dousing Dr Jeyakumar's home in oil. The intruders fled after the family awoke and neighbours became alerted by the family's screams.

Diaspora lifeline sustains Vanni

Jun 13, 2012

Repeating a common falsehood, Sri Lanka’s President Rajapakse recently lambasted the Tamil diaspora as not having spent a penny on helping the Tamils of the Vanni.

Sri Lanka appoints Turkish ambassador

Jun 12, 2012

After announcing the closure of a number of embassies in Europe deemed as not serving Sri Lanka's interests, Sri Lanka has appointed an ambassador to Turkey - Bharthi Wijeratne.

Airline losses due to government entourage flights - UNP

Jun 12, 2012
General Secretary of the UNP Tissa Attanayake has claimed that extravagant trips aboard by the President and his entourage have contributed to huge losses being incurred by Sri Lanka’s airlines.

Stating that President Rajapaksa and Foreign Minister GL Peiris have travelled to more than 35 countries since 2010, Attanayake said that tax payers were funding these trips, with both Sri Lankan Airlines and Mihin Lanka running up losses totalling 24 billion rupees.

Army Commander admits to land grab

Jun 12, 2012

In an interview to Sudar Oli, the Sri Lankan military’s army commander in Jaffna, Major General Mahinda Hathurusinghe admitted that land in Jaffna was being taken by the military to build army camps, but dismissed the allegations of land invasion.

Trade deficit widens

Jun 11, 2012

Sri Lanka's trade deficit for April widened by 2.6 percent year-on-year to $761 million, reported the Reuters news agency.

The export of tea fell 9.3 percent in April, after a record fall in January - April of 11.7 percent.

The export of textiles and garments was also reported to have dropped, 2.2 percent in April.

See here.

Sison statement “in complete accordance” with US policy

Jun 11, 2012
The US Embassy in Colombo has released a statement endorsing US Ambassador-designate Michele Sison’s earlier speech, which called for greater action on Sri Lanka’s human rights record.

The statement released by the US Embassy said,
Decades of expropriation stifling entrepreneurship
Reggae band ‘Big Mountain’ boycotts Sri Lanka over 'systematic violence'
Cancer specialist's home attacked - Jaffna
Diaspora lifeline sustains Vanni
Sri Lanka appoints Turkish ambassador
Airline losses due to government entourage flights - UNP
Army Commander admits to land grab
Trade deficit widens
Sison statement “in complete accordance” with US policy
Tamil asylum seekers are ‘paid’ to make perilous journeys – Admiral Samarasinghe
Decades of expropriation stifling entrepreneurship
Reggae band ‘Big Mountain’ boycotts Sri Lanka over 'systematic violence'
Cancer specialist's home attacked - Jaffna
Diaspora lifeline sustains Vanni
Sri Lanka appoints Turkish ambassador
Airline losses due to government entourage flights - UNP
Army Commander admits to land grab
Trade deficit widens
Sison statement “in complete accordance” with US policy
Tamil asylum seekers are ‘paid’ to make perilous journeys – Admiral Samarasinghe