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…

Two MPs among 27 Tamils banned from Mullivaikkal commemorations

Seven police stations in the Mullaitivu district have obtained court injunctions against 27 individuals, including two MPs, preventing them from carrying out Mullivaikkal commemorations.

The applications were put in by the Mullaitivu, Puthukudiyiruppu, Mankulam, Oddusuddan, Mallavi, Iyankankulam and Mulliyawalai police stations.

The 27 individuals include elected politicians and civil society activists. The Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) MPs Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam and Selvarajah Kajendran were targeted by three different police stations.

Sri Lankan military roam streets as North locked down

The Sri Lankan army and police patrolled the streets of the Northern Province as districts went into lockdown on Friday, with Sri Lanka's stay at home order lasting through the weekend.

Sri Lanka police engage in premeditated extrajudicial killings

The International Commission of Jurists and the Executive Committee of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka have strongly condemned the murder of two suspects in police custody which has occurred on two consecutive days.

Calls for New South Wales to recognise Tamil genocide

Dr Hugh McDermott, a member of New South Wales Legislative Assembly, has called on both the Premier and Opposition leader in New South Wales, Australia, to follow the lead of Ontario in recognising Sri Lanka’s genocide against Tamils and to refer the perpetrators of the genocide to the International Criminal Court.

Flame lit at Nandikadal lagoon to remember Mullivaikkal massacre

A flame was lit at the banks of Nandikadal lagoon on Wednesday to mark the first day of Mullivaikkal remembrance week. 

Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) youth wing leader Peter IIlancheliyan lit the flame amidst heightened Sri Lankan security force presence. 

Victims have the right to remembrance' says North-East Bishops' Council

The North-East Bishops' Council has called on the Tamil community to mark May 18th, also known as Tamil Genocide Day, as a "day of remembrance and prayer." 

"The survivors and witnesses of the last phase of war and the preceding decades, mourn over their departed, who without paying the last rights hurriedly buried their loved ones. The Day dedicated prompts that the victims have the right to remembrance," the Council wrote in a statement. 

See the full statement below:

Sri Lankan police arrest 30 Tamils in Vavuniya for ‘not wearing masks’

More than 30 Tamils in Vavuniya were arrested for allegedly not wearing masks with court cases already filed by Vavuniya police against them. 

STF announces 'Special Waterborne Operation Squad'

The Sri Lanka Police Special Task Force officially launched the “Special Waterborne Operation Squad” on Sunday to curb illegal activities on the island’s water and reservoirs, as militarisation on the island intensifies. 

The special unit is tasked with managing drug trafficking, smuggling of goods, sand, timber smuggling, illegal gem mining and illegal liquor smuggling. 

Mannar municipal council pays tribute to Mullivaikkal massacre

During the 39th session of Nattan’s municipal council, members paid tribute to those who lost their lives during the Mullivaikkal massacre

Led by the council’s chairman, Tiruch Selvam Paranjothi, members lit a flame and paid a silent two-minute tribute to the estimated tens of thousands killed during the final weeks of the armed struggle.

Sri Lankan army vandalises Mullivaikkal monument and steals memorial stone

The Sri Lankan army vandalised the Mullivaikkal memorial monument located in Mullivaikkal East earlier today, just hours after the security forces blocked Tamils from erecting a memorial stone at the site where tens of thousands were massacred 12 years ago.