Tamil Affairs

Tamil News

Latest news from and about the homeland

Pon. Sivakumaran's sacrifice remembered in Urumpirai
Pon. Sivakumaran, the first Tamil to die in the liberation struggle, was remembered today in Urumpirai, Jaffna, on the 52nd anniversary of his death.  Sivakumaran was a member of the Tamil Manavar Peravai (or Tamil Student Federation, TSF) and a leading militant in the early armed Tamil struggle. On 5th June 1974, Sivakumaran was surrounded by Sri Lankan security forces. He had…

In pictures - Nallur chariot festival draws tens of thousands from around the globe 

Aug 21, 2025

The iconic Nallur Kandasamy temple in Jaffna has drawn thousands of devotees for its annual chariot festival, ther thiruvizha, today.

Devotees from across the world gathered at the temple to see the temple's primary deity Murugan paraded through the streets of Jaffna.

Mass grave with 88 bodies uncovered at Colombo Port 

Aug 21, 2025
At least 88 skeletal remains have been excavated at a mass grave within the Colombo Port premises, officials confirmed this week, as yet even more bodies are recovered from another mass grave on the island.

‘Harassed every step of the way’ - HRW slams Sri Lanka’s repression of families of the disappeared

Aug 21, 2025
Sri Lankan security forces continue to harass Tamil families of the disappeared and weaponise counterterrorism laws against Tamil activists and journalists, despite promises of reform, Human Rights Watch (HRW) warned this week.

More than half a million flock to Our Lady of Madhu 

Aug 21, 2025

Over 500,000 pilgrims from across the island gathered in Mannar last week to mark the annual feast of Our Lady of Madhu.

The August 15 festival, marking the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, has long been one of the most significant events in the Catholic calendar. The site is the most revered Catholic shrine on the island.

‘We saw only the clothes of little children’ - Families of the disappeared at Chemmani

Aug 21, 2025
Over 200 people, including families of the disappeared, gathered earlier this month in Jaffna to view dozens of items of evidence exhumed from the Chemmani mass graves.

Father Jim Brown’s disappearance and Sri Lanka’s enduring impunity

Aug 20, 2025
On 20 August 2006, a young Tamil Catholic priest Father Thiruchelvam Nihal Jim Brown disappeared along with his lay assistant in the Sri Lankan military occupied Jaffna peninsula. Nineteen years later, his fate remains unknown, shrouded by silence and unanswered questions. 

UN expert slams Sri Lanka’s targeting of Tamil journalist under anti-terror probe

Aug 20, 2025
UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders, Mary Lawlor, has expressed concern over the interrogation of Tamil journalist and human rights defender Kanapathipillai Kumanan by Sri Lanka’s Counter Terrorism and Investigation Division (CTID).

From Gaza to Bangkok: Colombo turns foreign conflicts into job markets

Aug 19, 2025
Sri Lanka is once again seizing on foreign conflicts to export its labour force, as Thailand announced it will recruit 10,000 Sri Lankan workers to fill shortages caused by the mass return of Cambodian labourers following deadly border clashes.

Tamil diaspora groups urge UN to treat Eelam Tamils’ struggle as unfinished decolonisation

Aug 19, 2025
Tamil American organisations have called on the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to recognise the struggle of the Eelam Tamils as an unresolved case of decolonisation, warning that decades of inaction have entrenched impunity for genocide and denied justice to survivors.

Israeli tourist injured in Arugam Bay robbery

Aug 19, 2025
An Israeli tourist was injured in Arugam Bay after leaping from a moving tuk-tuk to escape an attempted robbery, in an incident that has again drawn attention to the presence of Israeli tourists on the island.
In pictures - Nallur chariot festival draws tens of thousands from around the globe 
Mass grave with 88 bodies uncovered at Colombo Port 
‘Harassed every step of the way’ - HRW slams Sri Lanka’s repression of families of the disappeared
More than half a million flock to Our Lady of Madhu 
‘We saw only the clothes of little children’ - Families of the disappeared at Chemmani
Father Jim Brown’s disappearance and Sri Lanka’s enduring impunity
UN expert slams Sri Lanka’s targeting of Tamil journalist under anti-terror probe
From Gaza to Bangkok: Colombo turns foreign conflicts into job markets
Tamil diaspora groups urge UN to treat Eelam Tamils’ struggle as unfinished decolonisation
Israeli tourist injured in Arugam Bay robbery
In pictures - Nallur chariot festival draws tens of thousands from around the globe 
Mass grave with 88 bodies uncovered at Colombo Port 
‘Harassed every step of the way’ - HRW slams Sri Lanka’s repression of families of the disappeared
More than half a million flock to Our Lady of Madhu 
‘We saw only the clothes of little children’ - Families of the disappeared at Chemmani
Father Jim Brown’s disappearance and Sri Lanka’s enduring impunity
UN expert slams Sri Lanka’s targeting of Tamil journalist under anti-terror probe
From Gaza to Bangkok: Colombo turns foreign conflicts into job markets
Tamil diaspora groups urge UN to treat Eelam Tamils’ struggle as unfinished decolonisation
Israeli tourist injured in Arugam Bay robbery