Tamil Affairs

Tamil News

Latest news from and about the homeland

A controversial cricket stadium and "sports city" promised for Jaffna, launched with presidential fanfare less than a year ago, is being scaled back to a modest cricket ground after Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) admitted it lacks the funds to deliver it. Speaking at a media briefing on Thursday, the SLC honorary secretary, Prakash Schaffter, said the project was under review and its scope being…

Military intelligence' men pay visit to TNA MP

Sri Lanka's military approached senior TNA MP Maavai Senathirajah to gather "information" on Sunday night, according to sources in the North-East.

Two men visited the ITAK office at Martin Road in Jaffna on Sunday at around 7:30pm, asking security guards, in Sinhalese, to speak to the MP, who is also the leader of ITAK. As he wasn't in the office, the men waited until his arrival soon after.

Government will not investigate former intelligence chief

Rejecting the UN Committee Against Torture's call on Sri Lanka to investigate the former intelligence chief, Sirisa Mendis, the state minister of defence, Ruwan Wijewardene told The Sunday Leader MR Mendis would not be investigated. 

Mr Wijewardene was quoted as saying "he does not see any need to investigate Mendis as the allegations against him are baseless." 

The government would "look into the ocncerns raised by the UN committee", he added however. 

New Tamil Nadu Chief Minister condemns ‘barbaric’ Sri Lankan navy

The newly appointed Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu O Panneerselvam, has written to India’s prime minister to call for action against the Sri Lankan navy after yet another reported attack on Tamil Nadu fishermen this weekend.

Mr Panneerselvam told Prime Minister Narendra Modi that "the Sri Lankan Navy continues to unleash its reign of terror on our fishermen in the Palk Bay, where these fishermen have earned their meagre livelihood from time immemorial".

Families of the disappeared in Vavuniya mark Human Rights Day

Families of the disappeared living in Vavuniya marked international Human Rights Day on Saturday with a demonstration followed by a discussion forum. 

The event was organised by the'Forum for Families of Searching, Handed, Kidnapped and Forcibly Disappeared Relatives - Tamil Homeland'. 

Sri Lankan navy commander assaults journalists covering Hambantota protest

Photograph Sunday Times 

Sri Lanka's navy commander, Vice Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne assaulted a journalist on Saturday, who had been reporting on protests at Hambantota Port. 

Wearing civilian attire, Mr Wijegunaratne marches up to the journalist before launching a strike aimed at the cameraman. 

NPC resolution on colonisation in North-East has ‘no legal standing’ declares justice minister

Sri Lanka’s Justice Minister told parliament that a resolution passed by the Northern Provincial Council (NPC) condemning the building of Buddhist places of worship in the North-East has “no legal standing”.

The Island reported Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe as telling parliamentarians that the Sri Lankan constitution did not provide any legal basis for the NPC to enforce the resolution, which called for an immediate cessation to the building of Buddhist viharas.

Russia offers Sri Lanka more military hardware

Russia’s ambassador to Sri Lanka urged Colombo to look to his country for the purchase of military equipment, at a press conference last week.

The Island quoted Ambassador Alexander Karchava as telling journalists that “Sri Lanka is searching for a number of products in the air, sea and land”.

“We can accommodate everything,” the ambassador said. “Russia has the originals and they are durable, unlike the duplicates."

Mr Karchava insisted that military co-operation between the two governments was continuing, pointing to the purchase of military helicopters by Sri Lanka in recent years.

Sri Lanka's parliament to discuss draft constitution on January 9

The Constitutional Assembly Steering Committee has decided to obtain the views of parliamentarians on drafting the new constitution on January 9th 2017 reports Colombo Page.

The decision was made during a report submission to the Chairman of the Constitutional Assembly, Prime Minister Ranil Wickrememsinghe, by the Sub-Working Committee that looked into relations between the parliament and Provincial Councils.

Sri Lanka must end impunity for torture says Amnesty

The Sri Lankan government must end impunity for torture by holding those responsible accountable said Amnesty this week. 

The statement follows the report by the UN Committee Against Torture this month which called on the government to investigate ongoing reports of torture by its security services.