British Prime Ministerial candidate Rishi Sunak reaffirmed his commitment to justice for mass atrocities committed in Sri Lanka and discussed the possibility of applying targeted sanctions on Sri Lankan officials just as the UK has on Russians, in a meeting with British Tamil conservatives earlier today.
The Sri Lankan government de-proscribed a handful of Tamil diaspora organisations and individuals in a move dubbed “cynical” and “a farce” by activists, as it continues to have hundreds more banned under a terrorist designation law. Under the latest update from Sri Lankan authorities, the Global Tamil Forum (GTF), British Tamils Forum (BTF) and Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC) have been removed from the Sri Lankan government’s list of banned organisations. Though a few organisations and individuals have been removed, major diaspora organisations such as the Tamil Youth Organisation (TYO) which has branches across the globe and the Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) remain listed. We spoke to some of those impacted by the latest move.
In a post on Instagram, British activist and tourist, Kayleigh Fraser, details a harrowing experience of sexual assault and an attempted cover-up by Sri Lanka police. After reporting her rape to the tourist police, Fraser received a call from Weligama police that requested to speak in person. “They marched me into a room where they told me to sit down. As I walked into this room, the four men who had assaulted me were standing in that room. I was told to write a letter saying that my statement was untrue. I refused”.
Tamil families of the disappeared rallied in Kilinochchi and Vavuniya yesterday to mark 2,000 days of continuous roadside protest as the search for their forcibly disappeared loved ones continues. In February 2017, Tamil families of the disappeared launched their roadside protests in Kilinochchi, followed by Vavuniya, Trincomalee, Mullaitivu and Maruthankerny. The families have spent years, in some cases decades, searching for their loved ones who were either abducted or handed over to the Sri Lankan military at the end of the armed conflict in 2009, on the premise that they would be returned...
Delivering his first speech in parliament as president of Sri Lanka, Ranil Wickremesinghe laid out a roadmap for Sri Lanka which vowed to upload Buddhism; authorised the police to “maintain law and order”; eliminate state enterprises; support controversial investments; tackle corruption; strength Sri Lanka’s export economy; and provide a “political solution” for Tamils.
As the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) continues to grapple with infighting after its decision to back Dullas Alahapperuma, multiple sources have confirmed to the Tamil Guardian how events of a fateful meeting with the presidential candidate unfolded – including details of a written agreement of demands and on how an Indian ambassador to Sri Lanka was dialled in during the evening.
Today marks thirty-nine years since the horrors of the anti-Tamil pogrom of 1983, when thousands of Tamils were killed by Sinhala mobs backed by the then-UNP government and state forces.
Following a brutal crackdown on demonstrators in Galle Face, Colombo, Sri Lanka’s President Ranil Wickremesinghe has sworn in a new cabinet comprised of those with troubled records.
Tomorrow Sri Lankan parliamentarians will elect the next President of Sri Lanka following the resignation and departure of Gotabaya Rajapaksa from the island. Ahead of this vote, Tamil Guardian examines the record of the primary candidates for president; Ranil Wickremesinghe, Dullas Alahapperuma, and Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
A formerly staunch Rajapaksa ally, Dullas Alahapperuma has declared his intention to run for president of Sri Lanka as Sinhala politicians have begun announcing their bids following the resignation of Gotabaya Rajapaksa. We take a look at Dullas Alahapperuma’s record. Alahapperuma is yet another staunch Sinhala Buddhist nationalist and Rajapaksa ally, who was initially with the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) before switching to the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP). He started his career as a Sinhala journalist, before contesting the 1993 Provincial Council elections in the Matara District...