Photograph: Tamil protestors in Colombo, 1956, shortly before they were attacked by Sinhala mobs. (Courtesy Victor Ivan) This week marks 65 years since Sri Lanka’s first anti-Tamil pogroms, when government backed Sinhala mobs murdered more than 150 Tamils across the island – the first of many massacres that were to take place in the decades to come. Violence first flared as Tamil politicians protested peacefully outside the Sri Lankan parliament in Colombo, condemning the Sri Lankan Freedom Party’s (SLFP) efforts to pass the Sinhala Only Act on June 5, 1956. As hundreds of Tamils, led by the...
A landmark decision from a British tribunal found that Tamils who engage in a range of political activities in the United Kingdom may continue to face “a real risk of ill-treatment or harm” if deported to Sri Lanka, in a significant ruling that clarifies and expands those who may face persecution on the island. The ruling, which centred on the asylum appeal of two Tamil refugees in the UK, known as KK and RS, importantly expands the criteria of those who may be at risk in Sri Lanka, taking into account a range of activities from posting on social media, to attendance at commemorative events and even signing petitions that could be “perceived as being anti-government”.
Chandran Vithusan, 22 A young Tamil man, who was arrested by the Sri Lankan Intelligence Division last night at a house in East Iruthayapuram, Batticaloa, has died in detention this morning. The body of Chandran Vithusan, 22, who was arrested outside his house in East Iruthayapuram by people who identified themselves as intelligence officers at 10.30pm last night, has been handed over this morning. Death of 21 year old in Police custody in #Batticaloa ! Mother says victim was arrested last night around 10.45 PM and saw him being beaten. Morning she has got a call saying he is in hospital. She...
Vigils and memorials to the tens of thousands massacred by the Sri Lankan state at Mullivaikkal have taken place across the Tamil homeland, despite an onslaught by the Sri Lankan state in recent days to prevent commemorations. Sri Lankan army locks down Mullaitivu on eve of Tamil Genocide commemorations Although the Sri Lankan army locked down several areas of Mullaitivu in order to prevent access to Mullivaikkal and the sites of the massacres, flames were lit on the beach and at the Nandikadal lagoon. Flame lit at Mullivaikkal in defiance of crackdown Tamil politicians defy ban to...
Marking 12 years since the Sri Lankan military onslaught that massacred tens of thousands of Tamils, we revisit the final days leading up to the 18 th of May 2009 – a date remembered around the world as ‘Tamil Genocide Day’. The total number of Tamil civilians killed during the final months is widely contested.
Watch live as Tamil Youth Organisation UK (TYOUK) and UK Tamil societies come together to remember those killed in the genocide of Tamils by the Sri Lankan state in 2009.
Today marks 45 years since the passing of the Vaddukoddai resolution, a key milestone in the Tamil struggle for self-determination. The document 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. Spearheaded by SJV Chelvanayakam, it was unanimously adopted by the Tamil United Liberation Front on May 14th, 1976. The resolution calls for a “free Sovereign, Secular, Socialist State of Tamil Eelam” and goes on to outline features of a future Tamil Eelam...
Several bright Tamil students from Mullaitivu and Mannar districts were celebrated after A-level examination results were released last week. Despite various challenges brought by the coronavirus pandemic, including the intensifying militarisation in the North-East regions of the island, the successes of these students became a great cause for celebration. Mullaitivu district Dushyanthan Dhanujan, who grew up under the care of his maternal grandfather after losing both his parents, ranked 13th in the district with a score of 3A in the field of arts. Pathmanathan Sangavi , a student from the...
On this day 45 years ago, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was founded.
This weekend marked the 39th birthday of Isaipriya, a famed Tamil newsreader that was executed by the Sri Lankan military in 2009.