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EDITORIAL - Sanctions are just the start 
The UK’s move must mark a new chapter, not the end, of international efforts.

Tamil Affairs

Tamil Affairs
Sri Lankan authorities launch multiple probes into Lyca Group’s media acquisitions
Tamil Affairs
Paramilitaries reunite – Karuna and Pillaiyan form new alliance ‘for sake of Eastern Tamils’
Tamil Affairs
US-Sri Lanka military ties grow as Washington pledges another vessel
Tamil Affairs
More organisations welcome UK sanctions on Sri Lankan war criminals

Latest Headlines

Sri Lankan authorities launch multiple probes into Lyca Group’s media acquisitions
Three state agencies in Sri Lanka have launched investigations into the Tamil-owned UK-based Lyca Group over its acquisition of a network of 12 media companies on the island, with questions raised over the legality of the transactions and the processes by which licences were granted.
'Friends forever, never enemies' - China's foreign minister in Moscow
China and Russia have reaffirmed their deepening ties during a high-level visit by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to Moscow, where he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. During a three-day visit to Russia, which began on 1 April, Wang Yi met with senior Russian officials and declared China and Russia are “friends forever, never enemies”. “Cooperation between China and Russia is never directed against third parties and does not succumb to impediments coming from outside,” he said. “We will not tread water when it comes to advancing bilateral relations, and we have a broad prospects open to us. Our friendship is not based on fleeting considerations, but is of a long-term nature.”
Paramilitaries reunite – Karuna and Pillaiyan form new alliance ‘for sake of Eastern Tamils’
Pro-Sri Lankan government paramilitary leaders Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan, also known as Karuna Amman, and Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan laso known as Pillayan, have formally reunited after 21 years, signing a memorandum of understanding in Batticaloa on 22 March 2025 to work together under a new political alliance. The move saw the formation of the Eastern Tamil Alliance.   Pillayan, currently the leader of the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP), and Karuna, who is with the Ahila Ilankai Thamizh Maha Sabha now join forces ahead of Sri Lanka’s upcoming local government elections in May.
US-Sri Lanka military ties grow as Washington pledges another vessel
The Commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM), Admiral Samuel J. Paparo, visited Colombo from 19 to 21 March 2025, reinforcing the growing military relationship between the United States and Sri Lanka. 
More organisations welcome UK sanctions on Sri Lankan war criminals
Tamil diaspora groups and international human rights organisations have welcomed the United Kingdom’s decision to impose targeted sanctions on four individuals implicated in grave human rights violations during Sri Lanka’s armed conflict. The sanctions, announced on 24 March 2025 under the UK’s Global Human Rights Sanctions Regulations 2020, target former senior military officials Shavendra Silva, Jagath Jayasuriya, and Wasantha Karannagoda, as well as former paramilitary leader Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan (Karuna). Measures include asset freezes and travel bans, prohibiting them from entering the UK or accessing British financial systems.
In photographs - Eid al-Fitr in Tamil Eelam
Eid al-Fitr was marked in Tamil Eelam this week, as Muslims in the Tamil homeland joined those around the world to celebrate the festival. See footage from across the North-East below. Mannar Pattanichoor, Vavuniya.
Trichy-Jaffna flight touches down after 47-year gap
A direct flight service between Tiruchirappalli in Tamil Nadu and Jaffna in Sri Lanka officially commenced on 30 March 2025, marking the first such connection between the two cities in nearly five decades. Operated by IndiGo Airlines, the inaugural service is part of a broader push to restore and expand regional connectivity between India and Tamil Eelam. The route, which had been inactive since the escalation of armed conflict in the late 1970s, was revived following the 2019 reopening of Palaly Airport—now renamed Jaffna International Airport.
India and Sri Lanka to sign defence pact and electricity grid connectivity agreement 
India and Sri Lanka are set to sign their first-ever defence cooperation agreement during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Colombo, with reports that a deal to link electricity grids with a cable connecting Mannar to Tamil Nadu will also be inked next week.  Modi is set to visit Colombo from April 4 to 6, where the agreements are slated to be finalised and signed.  The move represents a notable shift for Sri Lankan president Anura Kumara Dissanayake and his party, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), which has historically maintained an ‘anti-India’ posture and even waged a brutal insurrection as the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) came to the island in the 1980s. 
Sri Lankan Navy arrests deepen India-Sri Lanka tensions over Tamil fishermen dispute
The arrest of eleven Tamil Nadu fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy last week has reignited tensions between New Delhi and Colombo over the decades-long maritime conflict in the Palk Strait, as India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar acknowledged the enduring diplomatic and historical challenges behind the crisis.
Sathiyalingam welcomes sanctions on Sri Lankan war criminals
Sathiyalingam condemned the Sri Lankan government’s continued refusal to investigate or acknowledge the existence of torture camps and other human rights violations committed in the North-East, as he welcomed the recent set of sanctions by Britain on Sri Lankan war criminals.

Selective justice is not justice

No more evasion

Sri Lanka’s underworld rises to the surface

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UK sanctions Sri Lankan war criminals

Tamil News

Sri Lankan authorities launch multiple probes into Lyca Group’s media acquisitions

Apr 01
Three state agencies in Sri Lanka have launched investigations into the Tamil-owned UK-based Lyca Group over its acquisition of a network of 12 media companies on the island, with questions raised over the legality of the transactions and the processes by which licences were granted.
Paramilitaries reunite – Karuna and Pillaiyan form new alliance ‘for sake of Eastern Tamils’

Pro-Sri Lankan government paramilitary leaders Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan, also known as Karuna Amman, and Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan laso known as Pillayan, have formally reunited after 21 years, signing a memorandum of understanding in Batticaloa on 22 March 2025 to work together under a new political alliance.

US-Sri Lanka military ties grow as Washington pledges another vessel
The Commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM), Admiral Samuel J. Paparo, visited Colombo from 19 to 21 March 2025, reinforcing the growing military relationship between the United States and Sri Lanka. 
More organisations welcome UK sanctions on Sri Lankan war criminals

Tamil diaspora groups and international human rights organisations have welcomed the United Kingdom’s decision to impose targeted sanctions on four individuals implicated in grave human rights violations during Sri Lanka’s armed conflict.

In photographs - Eid al-Fitr in Tamil Eelam

Eid al-Fitr was marked in Tamil Eelam this week, as Muslims in the Tamil homeland joined those around the world to celebrate the festival.

See footage from across the North-East below.

Mannar

Trichy-Jaffna flight touches down after 47-year gap

A direct flight service between Tiruchirappalli in Tamil Nadu and Jaffna in Sri Lanka officially commenced on 30 March 2025, marking the first such connection between the two cities in nearly five decades.

India and Sri Lanka to sign defence pact and electricity grid connectivity agreement 

India and Sri Lanka are set to sign their first-ever defence cooperation agreement during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Colombo, with reports that a deal to link electricity grids with a cable connecting Mannar to Tamil Nadu will also be inked next week. 

Sri Lankan Navy arrests deepen India-Sri Lanka tensions over Tamil fishermen dispute
The arrest of eleven Tamil Nadu fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy last week has reignited tensions between New Delhi and Colombo over the decades-long maritime conflict in the Palk Strait, as India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar acknowledged the enduring diplomatic and historical challenges behind the crisis.
Sathiyalingam welcomes sanctions on Sri Lankan war criminals
Sathiyalingam condemned the Sri Lankan government’s continued refusal to investigate or acknowledge the existence of torture camps and other human rights violations committed in the North-East, as he welcomed the recent set of sanctions by Britain on Sri Lankan war criminals.
Sri Lanka risks US$1.23 billion loss if EU withdraws GSP+ trade benefits, warns new study

Sri Lanka could lose up to US$1.23 billion in export revenue if the European Union (EU) withdraws its preferential trade access under the Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+), according to a new report by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS). 

Sri Lankan Supreme Court Justices recuse themselves from Karannagoda 'Navy 11' disappearance case
Two justices of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka, Dilip Nawaz and Priyantha Fernando, announced on 28 March that they would recuse themselves from hearing petitions related to the controversial case of former Navy Commander Wasantha Karannagoda and the enforced disappearance of eleven Tamil and Muslim youth between 2008 and 2009.
'Debt can be like certain girls' says Sri Lankan minister in sexist remark

Sri Lankan Minister

Sri Lanka’s minister of industry and entrepreneurship development, Sunil Handunneththi has faced criticism after he made a remark at a Regional Development Bank event, where he compared debt to “certain girls,” saying “when the time comes, they forget all that you’ve done for them”.

Accused war criminal Fonseka backs accused war criminal Silva

Shavendra Silva, former head of the Sri Lankan Armed Forces, did nothing wrong on the frontlines of the battlefield, claimed Sarath Fonseka, former army commander and himself an accused war criminal.

Sri Lankan Army Chief’s visit to Jaffna highlights continued militarisation of Tamil homeland
Army Chief’s recent visit to Jaffna raises concerns over the continued militarisation and state control in the Tamil homeland
ITAK to raise provincial council crisis with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Cvk sivagnanam


Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) intends to raise concerns over the continuing erosion of provincial council powers during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming visit to Sri Lanka, according to Acting Leader C. V. K. Sivagnanam.

Veera Dheera Sooran: Part 2 - Loses the plot
Arun Kumar returns with his new film ‘Veera Dheera Sooran: Part 2,’ an action thriller with shades of neo-noir.
India overtakes Sri Lanka as second-largest tea exporter amidst Colombo’s economic gloom
India has surpassed Sri Lanka to become the world's second-largest tea exporter in 2024, with exports reaching 254 million kilograms.
UGC targets Jaffna University students over Black Flag protest

The University Grants Commission (UGC) of Sri Lanka is reportedly preparing to take disciplinary action against students at the University of Jaffna after a symbolic protest on Sri Lanka’s 77th Independence Day, in which Sri Lanka’s lion flag was replaced with a black flag on campus.

India’s Supreme Court to hear Katchatheevu dispute in September

The Supreme Court of India has scheduled a final hearing for September 15, 2025, to address petitions challenging the 1974 and 1976 agreements that ceded the Katchatheevu islet to Sri Lanka.

Senior UK diplomat visits Sri Lanka as it imposes sanctions on war criminals

As the United Kingdom imposed targeted sanctions on senior Sri Lankan military officials for their role in war crimes, a senior UK Foreign Office official visited Colombo for high-level meetings with government representatives and civil society groups.

World News

'Friends forever, never enemies' - China's foreign minister in Moscow

Apr 01

China and Russia have reaffirmed their deepening ties during a high-level visit by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to Moscow, where he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

First direct talks between Congo and M23 rebels to be held on April 9

M23 forces standing beside house
Sources from both the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) government and the Rwandan-backed M23 rebels have stated that the two are aiming to hold direct talks for the first time on 9 April. 

The meeting in Doha would be the first direct negotiations since M23 rebels seized eastern Congo’s two largest cities.

Israel killed 15 Palestinian paramedics and rescue workers one by one, says UN
Fifteen Palestinian paramedics and rescue workers, including at least one United Nations employee, were killed by Israeli forces “one by one” and buried in a mass grave eight days ago in southern Gaza, the UN has said.
Republika Srpska adopt new constitution asserting the right to self determination
The federal entity of Republika Srpska has adopted a draft constitution which includes provisions for the formation of an army and asserts the entities right to self determination.
Huge protests erupt as Turkey jails President Erdogan's main rival

Nationwide protests erupted as the president of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, had his biggest political rival arrested last Wednesday and jailed today on counts of corruption and links to terrorism.

M23 rebels capture Walikale in eastern DRC

M23 forces standing beside house

Rwanda-backed M23 rebels have captured the strategic mining hub of Walikale in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). 

M23 rebels entered Walikale on Wednesday. Spokesperson for the Congolese army, Nestor Mavudisa, confirmed on Thursday that “the enemy” now controlled Walikale. 

At least 7 dead after boat carrying refugees capsizes off Cyprus’ coast

Boat carrying refugees

Authorities in Cyprus have reported that they have retrieved at least 7 bodies after a boat carrying refugees capsized 30 nautical miles southeast of Cape Greco. 

Two people were rescued on Monday, there is still an unspecified number of people believed to be missing. 

Balochistan train hijack ends in bloodshed as Pakistani forces storm separatist fighters

The train hijacked by the Baloch rebels. Photo courtesy: Swarajya Mag

Rwanda severs diplomatic ties with Belgium

PK

Rwanda says it has cut diplomatic ties with Belgium and ordered all of their country’s diplomats to leave the country within 48 hours, drawing a swift response from Brussels.

Israel informed US ahead of latest deadly attacks on Gaza

Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu sit beside each other with Israel and US flags in background

White House Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt, confirmed on Monday that the Israeli government had informed the Trump administration prior to launching massive air raids on the Gaza Strip overnight. 

Children among 32 killed following US airstrikes in Yemen
US fighter jets have carried out a series of air raids across Yemen, killing at least 32.
Netanyahu lashes out at UN after experts find 'genocidal acts' in Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has lashed out against a United Nations report accusing Israel of committing "genocidal acts" against Palestinians, calling the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) an "antisemitic, rotten, terrorist-supporting and irrelevant body."

US explores Somaliland recognition in exchange for military base
The United States is reportedly considering partial recognition of Somaliland in exchange for permission to establish a naval base near Berbera port, according to a report by the Financial Times.
International endorsement for Syria-SDF deal
The recent agreement between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Syrian central government has received international backing, after it was agreed the alliance would integrate all military and civilian institutions into the Syrian state.
Bosnian prosecutors order arrest of three top Bosnian Serb officials

Dodik speaking in front of multiple news microphones

On Wednesday, Bosnian state prosecutors ordered the arrest of Serb separatist leader Milorad Dodik and two of his aides for what it has called an attack on the constitutional order. 

Duterte arrested and flown to The Hague as Marcos shifts stance on ICC
Former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has been arrested and flown to The Hague, where he will face charges of crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court (ICC) for his brutal “war on drugs”. 
China says it is ready in "tariff war, trade war, or any other war" with US

US flag and Chinese Flag beside each other

China has warned that it is ready to “fight to the end” with the US in a “tariff war, trade war, or any other war” in response to President Donald Trump’s mounting trade tariffs. 

Thailand Deports Dozens of Uighurs to China
Thailand deported 40 Uighur asylum seekers back to China last week, drawing a sharp rebuke from U.N. officials and activists who had long warned that the men would possibly face torture and long-term imprisonment upon their return.
Israel launches air attacks near Syria’s Tartous
Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria since former President Bashar al-Assad was toppled in December.
Kurdish group PKK declares ceasefire with Turkey in response to its leader's call
The Kurdish armed group the PKK has declared a ceasefire following calls from its imprisoned leader and founder, Abdullah Öcalan last month.
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CULTURE & COMMUNITY
In photographs - Eid al-Fitr in Tamil Eelam
Veera Dheera Sooran: Part 2 - Loses the plot
Ashnaa Unplugged - Interview with Ashnaa Sasikaran
INTERVIEW
British MPs praise Tamils and pledge justice at Pongal
Sanctions on Sri Lanka are Britain's 'responsibility' - Interview with Yasmin Sooka
ITAK's wake up call and Tamil aspirations - Interview with Shanakiyan Rasamanickam