Tamil Affairs

Tamil News

Latest news from and about the homeland

""
The number of skeletal remains identified at the Chemmani mass grave in Jaffna has risen to 366, as excavators uncovered further remains of children on Tuesday, at one of the largest mass graves unearthed on the island and a site long tied to the enforced disappearance and extrajudicial killing of Tamils by the Sri Lankan military. Six sets of skeletal remains, including those of children,…

Reflections from Mullivaikkal: Keppapilavu 11 years on

As part of a series marking 11 years since the atrocities of Mullivaikkal, land protestors from Keppapilavu shared their reflections on their experiences and the struggles they continue to face.

The community has been protesting the military’s occupation of their land continuously since February 2017.

44 years since Vaddukoddai resolution

Today marks 44 years since the passing of the Vaddukoddai resolution, a document that concluded an independent state of Tamil Eelam was needed to safeguard the very existence of the Tamil nation in Sri Lanka and remains a cornerstone of the Tamil movement for self-determination.

The Vaddukoddai resolution, spearheaded by SJV Chelvanayakam, was unanimously adopted by the Tamil United Liberation Front on May 14th, 1976.

More Sri Lankan police intimidation as Tamil genocide memorial events continue

Sri Lankan police continued their attempts to disrupt Tamil genocide memorial events, as they intruded on another commemoration at the Navaly Church in Jaffna this morning.

Members of the Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) had gathered to light a lamp in remembrance of the victims killed during the decades of Sri Lankan state violence, when uniformed Sri Lankan police officers attempted to stop the event.  

Sri Lankan President suggests army expansion into agriculture

 

Sri Lankan President, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, has proposed expanding the scope of the Sri Lankan military into agriculture by establishing a separate unit despite the on-going damage military occupation has had on the livelihood of Tamils in the North and East.

Rajapaksa claimed that there was a pressing need to make “plantations into profitable ventures” but failed to address increasing land seizures which have occurred under the military and undermined the local economy. 

Sri Lankan military open 'harmony centre' in Jaffna despite calls for demilitarisation

Jaffna Security Force HQ have opened a "harmony centre" in Kankesanthurai (KKS), despite calls for demilitarisation in the region. 

The centre was reportedly opened to promote "peace, reconciliation, cooperation and the wellbeing of the community in the Jaffna peninsula", according to the official military website. 

Sri Lankan military intimidation as Mullivaikkal commemorations begin

Armed Sri Lankan soldiers and police officers threatened to send a group of Tamils to coronavirus quarantine centres, as they marked the beginning of Tamil Genocide Remembrance Week in Jaffna this morning.

More militarisation of health in Sri Lanka with another reshuffle

Sri Lanka’s president continued with his militarisation of government posts this week, as he announced two senior military officials would take over key ministries.

As Colombo looks to tackle the coronavirus pandemic, Gotabaya Rajapaksa announced Health Ministry Secretary Bhadrani Jayawardhana has been moved to the Ministry of Internal Trade and Major General Sanjeeva Munasinghe will take her place.

Munasinghe is a serving military officer and currently the Officer Commanding the Army Medical Corp.

Tamil diaspora organisations slam Malayalam movie over Prabhakaran ‘insult’

Tamil diaspora organisations from around the world released a statement criticising Malayalam-language movie ‘Varane Avashyamund’, after a scene that involved naming a pet dog “Prabhakara”, caused widespread outrage.

“Tamils all over the world are outraged by the insult hurled at our National Leader Honorable V. Prabhakaran, whom Tamils consider a historic hero,” said the statement signed by the World Thamil Organisation, the Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam, the International Council of Eelam Tamils, the Thamil Thaai Mandram and the Kanthamurugasanaar Tamil Cultural Centre.

Our Holocaust

Marking 11 years since the massacres at Mullivaikkal, we reproduce our editorial from the time.

This editorial, entitled ‘Our Holocaust’, was published on this day 11 years ago.

_____

Tamil diaspora keeps frontline workers fully fed

As healthcare workers around the world have been battling the coronavirus, Tamil diaspora activists and businesses have been helping to keep frontline workers fully fed and fighting fit over the last two months.

Activists in London and Toronto were handing out free meals to healthcare workers in both cities, as part of community efforts around the globe.