Services were held to mark 16 years since the assassination of Father Xavier Karunaratnam who was killed in a claymore attack by Sri Lanka's Deep Penetration Unit. On April 20, 2008, Father Karunaratnam's vehicle was attacked by a command-detonated landmine while it was being towed after breaking down on Father Karunaratnam's journey home following Sunday Mass. Father Karunaratnam, was seated in the driver seat steering the vehicle when shrapnel hit his head, causing brain injuries. He died on the spot. The prayer services were held at the Annai Velankanni Church. Several devotees gathered...
Acting on a complaint lodged by the Governor of the Northern Province P.S.M. Charles, the editor-in-chief of the Valampuri Tamil newspaper was interrogated for several hours by Jaffna police over an article that appeared on March 18th. The complaint was reportedly over an editorial titled “An urgent note for the Northern Province Governor” which appeared in the publication on March 18th. The editor-in-chief N.Vijayasundaram was summoned to appear before the Jaffna police where he was interrogated for several hours and asked to make a formal statement. The complaint was however registered...
The US Navy, the US Marine Corps, and the Sri Lankan Navy will conduct a bilateral maritime joint exercise from Monday off the coast of Trincomalee where the government's notorious naval complex is located.
Today marks 38 years since Sri Lankan soldiers destroyed the chariot of the ancient Selva Channithy Murugan Temple in Thondaimaanaaru, one of the largest Hindu chariots in the world at the time.
As India, the world’s largest democracy, heads to the polls, much focus has been on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its campaign in Tamil Nadu – a powerhouse state of more than 70 million Tamils. The North Indian party has been intensely campaigning as it looks to expand southwards into an area where it currently holds no seats. Though projections suggest an increase in vote share, it is unlikely to translate into more than a handful of seats - if any. Few in the region see the party as being able to commit to or foster the Tamil people and their interests. New Delhi’s policy on Sri Lanka and its lack of support for Eelam Tamils just a stone’s throw away, demonstrates exactly why.
In a tweet posted by the Russian Embassy, the Russian Embassy in Colombo denied any involvement in the recruitment of Sri Lankan military members adding it had “no information about the participation of Sri Lankan nationals in the Ukraining conflict on the Russian side, nor data regarding possible numbers.” The mission went on to say that it was not aware of local recruiting agencies that hires individuals to join such activities while deceiving them about the true nature of these jobs. The tweet was posted in response to media reports about the death of Sri Lankan nationals engaged in the...
Sri Lanka’s discussion with international bondholders to restructure more than USD 12 billion in debt hit a snag after it rejected two of the conditions, putting at risk the critical International Monetary Fund support which has been a lifeline to Sri Lanka since the onset of the economic crisis in 2022. Some of the proposal's "baseline" assessments and a lack of a contingency option in the case of continued economic weakness were the two main reasons the deal was not agreed, the government said in a statement. The full statement can be found here . Sri Lanka has already struck a deal with...
A Tamil journalist who had attended a public meeting chaired by Sri Lanka’s Fisheries Minister and government-aligned paramilitary leader Douglas Devananda was threatened by his security for filming an argument between residents and the minister. The incident took place in Manduvil area when journalist Rajaiah Udayakumar was attending a public meeting that was open to the press. During the meeting, there had been a disagreement and residents were in a heated exchange with Devananda. Udayakumar had been recording at the time, however, he was confronted by the minister’s security who prevented...
Tamil fishermen from Mullaitivu have criticised Sri Lanka's Fisheries Miniser Douglas Devananda , and leader of the notrious government-aligned EPDP paramilitary group, for failing to prevent Indian fishermen from poaching in Sri Lankan waters. During a district committee meeting, chaired by the fisheries minister, they complained that Indian fishermen were employing illegal fishing methods, including light course fishing and unauthorized nets. Representatives of the fishermen's association and the District Director of the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources stressed that this was...
Tamils across the North-East commemorated Annai Poopathy on Friday to mark 36 years since she fasted unto death in protest of the atrocities committed by the Indian Peace Keeping Forces (IPKF).