Tamil Affairs

Tamil News

Latest news from and about the homeland

British Tamil engineer Arun Rajkumar became an unexpected face of Mercedes’ Austrian Grand Prix celebrations after stepping onto the Formula 1 podium and lifting the race-winning constructors’ trophy for the team. Rajkumar, who was born into an Eelam Tamil family, is a trackside power unit engineer for Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains, the Brixworth-based division that designs,…

Northern Provincial Council requests security for Wigneswaran

The Northern Provincial Council this week urged security to be provided to the chief minister CV Wigneswaran due to death threats by Sinhala nationalists. 

Making the request in a letter to the Inspector General of Police, the chairman of the NPC CVK Sivagnanam said Mr Wigneswaran was receiving further threats from Sinhala groups in the South following the mass Tamil rally, Ezhuka Tamil last month. 
 

Sri Lankan TID's surveillance list of human rights activists emerges

The Terrorism Investigation Division's surveillance list of human rights activists has emerged, the Sunday Leader reported on Sunday. 

The details of activists on the list have not been released. 

The TID is yet to comment on the leak. 

Retired Sri Lankan military personnel hired for ‘nation building’

The Sri Lankan government announced that it would be hiring retired military personnel for “nation-building purposes,” in a media briefing on Friday.

Speaking to reporters, Sri Lanka’s Minister of Defence and Secretary to the Ministry of Defence said the project was “initiated under a visionary concept of the President Maithripala Sirisena” and is to be officially inaugurated in the next week.

NPC calls for investigation of death threats against Wigneswaran

The Northern Provincial Council passed a resolution this week, calling for an investigation into death threats issued against Chief Minister C V Wigneswaran by Sinhalese protestors.

"The resolution asked the Inspector General of Police to investigate the complaint and, if necessary, increase security for the Chief Minister,” NPC chairman, C V K Sivagnanam, told the New Indian Express.

Jaffna shooting: locals accuse Sri Lankan police

Locals in Kokkuvil, Jaffna have accused the Sri Lankan police of shooting at a house on Wednesday, before raiding the premises and threatening those residing in the property. 

The home owner, and father of the youth told reporters "two uniformed police officers came to my house at Pirambadi 2nd Street in Kokkuvil whilst I was not at home, but two of my children were at home." 

"The officers enquired after my son to my other two children, naming him. When they were told that he was not at home, they forcibly entered the property and searched for him, threatening my other children."

Ranil dismisses Wigneswaran's call for federalism

Sri Lanka's prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe on Saturday dismissed the Northern Provincial Council chief minister's call for a federal solution.
 
"Anyone is free to air their views but the Constitution making process is the work of parliament," he was quoted by the Daily Mirror as saying. 

Sinhale National Front lodges police complaint against Wigneswaran

The Sinhale National Front lodged a complaint with Sri Lankan police against the Chief Minister of the Northern Province C V Wigneswaran, accusing him of inciting racial hatred.

The organisation, accused of being behind a recent spate of racist attacks across the island, said the chief minister’s call for the removal of Sri Lankan military camps in the North-East would give rise to “terrorism”.

Sinhale President Agulugalle SiriJinananda Thero said, “Wigneswaran has demanded that army camps in Northern Province should be removed and that temples should not be built in the North”.

India commits over $2.6 billion in aid to Sri Lanka

The Indian government pledged over $2.6 billion for development projects in Sri Lanka, during a visit by the Sri Lankan prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe to New Delhi. 

"India has given special emphasis on meeting Sri Lanka's developmental requirements. Its aid projects in Sri Lanka have a commitment of more than $2.6 billion," the Indian president, Pranab Mukherjee, was quoted by Indian media as saying following a meeting with Mr Wickremesinghe. 

India will also be looking to focus on Sri Lanka's energy facilities and infrastructure he added. 

Economic pact with India by end of year says Ranil

The prime minister of Sri Lanka, Ranil Wickremesinghe this week pledged an economic pact with India would be in force by the end of this year. 

Mr Wickremesinghe, who is currently on a three-day visit to New Delhi, met with his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi and the country's president. 

“Prime Minister Modi and I decided we must conclude it (the proposed technology and economic co-operation agreement) by the end of this year. This offers a strategic economic advantage to our country and the fastest-growing southern Indian States,” he was quoted by The Hindu as saying whilst speaking at an India Economic Summit in New Delhi. 

There are reasons for our silence on talks says TNA spokesperson

The spokesperson of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), M A Sumanthiran rebuffed criticims of the secrecy surrounding constitutional talks, saying, "there are reasons for the silence we keep". 

"We have the belief that our people would trust us. When the interim report is released, everything will be revealed. Until then, people should keep faith," he said at the weekend, speaking at an event in Karavetty. 

In a cryptic message, Mr Sumanthiran added: