• Remembering Bala Anna

    Dec 14

    Today marks 13 years since the passing of the chief negotiator and political strategist of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Anton Balasingham. 

    Balasingham, or as he was fondly known among Tamils - Bala Anna, was widely respected and adored by the nation. His charismatic addresses in venues around the world drew tens of thousands, as he provided political analysis with sharp wit. Leading LTTE delegations through numerous negotiations, Bala Anna eloquently and forcefully articulated the rights of the nation. His intellectual prowess and political acumen earned him respect from all sides of the negotiating table.

    He remains an extraordinary theoretician and a formidable figure within the Tamil struggle.

    Bala anna's special relationship with the Tamil Guardian is a bond that we remain deeply proud of to this day.

  • One month of Gotabaya - abductions, assaults and intimidation

    Just weeks into his tenure, journalists, activists and human rights defenders are increasingly fearful of Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s government following incidents of journalist harassment; intimidation, interrogations and abductions across the island. 

  • Mullivaikkal survivor abused by Middle-East employers pleads to return home

    A Tamil woman who survived the Mullivaikkal genocide is pleading to return home, alleging that she has been abused by her employers in Oman.

    Selvakumar Priyadarshini sought employment in the Gulf state to relieve her family’s extreme poverty.

  • Sri Lankan president promises ‘media freedom’ under his government

    Sri Lanka’s new president Gotabaya Rajapaksa issued a statement on Thursday, claiming that media freedom will not be hindered in any form during his tenure.

  • Journalist assaulted by SLPP trade union leader

    Journalist Maduka Fernando of Lake House Media has reported that he was assaulted by several members of the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) party’s trade union members.

  • Indian PM pays tribute to cherished Tamil poet Mahakavi Bharathiyar

    India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to Subramaniya Bharathy on his birthday, 11th December marking the 137th year of his birth.

  • CID to investigate allegations against Muslim doctor
    <p>The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has released a statement, stating that they would launch an investigation into a Muslim doctor, Dr. Mohamed Safi Sihabdeen, who is accused of illegal sterilisation, corruption and supporting terrorism.</p> <p>An investigation launched earlier this July 2019, reported that there was no evidence to support the claims against Dr. Shafi Sihabdeen.</p>
  • Swiss embassy employee ordered to undergo psychiatric examination
    <p>The Swiss embassy employee who was abducted on November 25 was ordered by the Colombo Magistrate's&nbsp;Court to undergo a psychiatric examination tomorrow.&nbsp;</p> <p>The&nbsp;travel ban imposed on the victim&nbsp;has been further&nbsp;extended until December 17, when&nbsp;the psychiatric report is to be submitted.&nbsp;</p>
  • Petition filed to UN after Sri Lanka arrests author for insulting Buddhism

    A joint petition by US based law firm, Proskauer Rose LLP and non-profit, Freedom Now has been filed to the United Nations over the arbitrary imprisonment of Sri Lankan author Shakthika Sathkumara by Sri Lankan authorities for allegedly insulting Buddhism.

  • British prime minister thanks Tamils and hopes for accountability in Sri Lanka

    British Prime Minister Boris Johnson released a video thanking the British Tamil community for their contribution to life in the UK and expressed hopes for accountability in Sri Lanka.

    In a video message that Johnson released on Twitter on the day of Britain’s general election, he said:

  • Vavuniya residents mark another massacre

    A commemoration for another massacre carried out by the Sri Lankan army in 1984 was held in Vavuniya on Sunday.

  • Families decry surveillance as Sri Lankan intel out in force at disappeared protest

  • ‘Trouble brews in post-election Sri Lanka’
    <p>The election of Gotabaya Rajapaksa as President of Sri Lanka “sent shockwaves across the Tamil-dominated northeast - where memories of his brother Mahinda Rajapaksa's brutal presidency, marked by mass atrocities and enforced disappearances, remain fresh,” writes&nbsp;Mario Arulthas, Advocacy Director at People for Equality and Relief in Lanka (PEARL), in a piece for Al Jazeera this week.</p>
  • Tamil youth hospitalised in Mullaitivu shooting
    <p>A Tamil youth was hospitalised from a shooting incident in Mullaitivu.</p> <p>Mallavi police said the incident took place around 4am on Tuesday but did not identify those involved.</p> <p>A 25-year-old was admitted to Kilinochchi hospital.</p> <p>Police said investigations were ongoing and claimed the incident was related to 'personal' issues.</p>
  • Brigadier linked to Jaffna gangs appointed head of Sri Lanka's intelligence

    A Sri Lankan brigadier who had been previously removed from a posting due to links with military-backed gangs causing unrest in Jaffna, has been appointed the head of State Intelligence Service (SIS) by Sri Lanka’s new president Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

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