Tamil Affairs

Tamil News

Latest news from and about the homeland

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  The lawyer representing detained Tamil rapper Sangeethsan Ganeskumar challenged allegations that his client sought to revive the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) during proceedings before the Jaffna Magistrate's Court this week, arguing that the material cited by police contains no reference to the organisation or its leadership. Sangeethsan, better known by his stage name…

Mass Graves and Failed Exhumations' - New report reveals Sri Lanka's failure to exhume and investigate mass graves

A new joint report, 'Mass Graves and Failed Exhumations', details a pattern of systematic failures by Sri Lanka to exhume and investigate mass graves across the island.  

‘Accountability remains the fundamental gap’ – UN Deputy High Commissioner’s oral update on Sri Lanka

Speaking at the UN Human Rights Council, UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, Nada Al-Nasif stressed in her update on Sri Lanka the importance of accountability and raised concern over the Sri Lanka’s president’s “heavy-handed approach to protests” and proposed replacement to the Prevention of Terrorism Act.

Core Group on Sri Lanka stresses importance of addressing ‘root causes of conflicts and impunity’

The Core Group on Sri Lanka stressed the importance of “building meaningfully on past work and recommendations that address the root causes of conflicts and impunity” in a statement at the 53rd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC). 

The Core Group, made up of Canada, Malawi, Montenegro, North Macedonia, the UK and the United States, also expressed their concerns over the island’s continued use of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). 

Tamils protest ongoing illegal construction of Buddhist shrine at Kurunthurmalai

Local Tamils are protesting the ongoing illegal construction of a Buddhist temple at Kurunthumalai, an ancient Tamil temple site.

Sinhala Buddhist monks aided by the Sri Lankan archeology department are constructing the shrine in defiance of a court order which states no changes could be made to the site. The archaeology department have used the guise of 'excavation' work to assist Sinhala Buddhist monks to erect a Buddhist shrine. 

Eelam Tamil dies in Indonesian refugee camp

Image courtesy of Tamilwin

Asokakumar Lalitha, an Eelam Tamil refugee who had been seeking asylum status in Indonesia since 2012, passed away on June 19. 

Lalitha had been living with her husband and two children in a refugee camp in Medan, Indonesia. She had been suffering from severe diabetes and had been denied access to adequate medical facilities to treat her condition.

Over 250 acres of Tamil land usurped by Sinhala settlers claims TNA MP

Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP Charles Nirmalanathan has alleged that up to 250 acres of land in the Veerapuram area that were supposed to be handed over to Tamil families have been illegally occupied by Sinhala settlers.

In 1994, Tamil families were settled on 400 acres of land that was allocated in the Cheddikulam Divisional Secretariat. Each family was promised 1 acre of land for their livelihood development. However, these lands have not yet been distributed to the families.

Human rights chief urges Sri Lanka to implement UN recommendations

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk called on Sri Lanka to implement the UN's recommendations related to accountability in his statement at the 53rd session of the UN Human Rights Council. 

He stated that:

Ranil, go home!' - British Tamils protest Sri Lankan President's visit to London

British Tamils gathered at One George Street in central London to protest the Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe's visit to London this week. 

World Bank to approve $700 million for Sri Lanka next week

At the next board meeting on 28 June, the World Bank will likely approve $700 million in welfare and budgetary support for Sri Lanka.

In March, the International Monetary Fund approved a bailout of nearly $3 billion to assist the island with economic recovery. This bailout is expected to bring further funding of up to $4 billion from various institutions including the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. 

Fisherfolk in Rameshwaram demand government regulation of seafood prices for export

Fisherfolk in Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu, have expressed disappointment after being unable to fetch an adequate price for their catch despite an abundant catch consisting of fish, crab, cuttlefish, and prawns.