Tamil Affairs

Tamil News

Latest news from and about the homeland

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Court orders Sallay to hand over passwords in Easter Sunday probe
The Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court has ordered former State Intelligence Service Director Major General (Retired) Suresh Sallay to provide the Criminal Investigation Department with the passwords to his mobile phone and computer as part of the ongoing investigation into the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings. The order was issued on Wednesday by Colombo Fort Magistrate Pasan Amarasena, while Sallay…

Sri Lanka ranked 6th on CPJ impunity index

Oct 9, 2015
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) ranked Sri Lanka 6th in its 2015 Global Impunity Index, which “spotlights countries where journalists are slain and the killers go free”.

Published this week, ahead of the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists on November 2, the index examined journalist murders across the world that took place between September 1 2005, and August 31 2015.

“Sri Lanka moved to sixth place from fourth on this year's Index, its improvement due not to prosecutions-the island nation still maintains a perfect record of impunity in journalist slayings-but to the fact that no journalists have been murdered for their work since the end of civil war in 2009,” said the CPJ.

Sri Lanka parliament to debate OISL report this month

Oct 9, 2015
Sri Lanka's parliament is to debate the OHCHR Investigation on Sri Lanka (OISL) report and the subsequent UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) resolution on October 20 and 21, reports the Daily Mirror.

The Sri Lankan prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe said the reports of the commissions of Udulagama and Paranagama will also be debated on those days.


UPFA to stage countrywide protests against UNHRC resolution warns Sri Lanka MP

Oct 9, 2015

The opposition United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) will stage “massive countrywide protests” to raise awareness about the dangers of the United Nations Human Rights Council resolution on Sir Lanka’s atrocities, warned an MP on Saturday.

The leader of the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna, a coalition member of the (UPFA), said,

Sri Lanka acquires EU grant to develop Central and UVA Provinces

Oct 8, 2015

The European Union agreed to provide a Euro 43.7 million grant for development projects in Sri Lanka.

30 million of the grant will go to the Central and UVA Provinces reports Colombo page.

US announces further support for demining efforts in Sri Lanka

Oct 8, 2015

The US Ambassador to Colombo Atul Keshap, announced an additional $1.745 million to add to the demining initiatives of international and domestic organisations working under the National Mine Action Committee (NMAC)

Reiterating US support for demining in Sri Lanka, Mr Keshap said,

Pastor harassed by officials and Buddhist monks

Oct 8, 2015

Police summoned and questioned a Christian pastor after four Buddhist monks forcibly entered a church in Bandaragama, in the Kalutara District, on September 6, and claimed the church was not a registered place of worship.

The Officer in Charge of the police station ordered the pastor to register the church with the Ministry of Buddha Sasana and Religious Affairs in order to continue operation, and was made to sign a document stating he would not continue with his religious activities until this was done.

The incident was reported in the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka, in its periodic incident report.

The church was initially visited by officials on August 31, when 2 officers from the Ministry of Buddha Sasana and Religious Affairs informed the pastor that they were investigating a petition submitted against him and his religious activities.

UNHRC resolution betrayed country - former JVP leader

Oct 8, 2015

The general secretary of the People's Servants' Party, Somawanse Amarasinghe, said the resolution passed at the UN Human Rights Council last week was a betrayal of Sri Lanka.

Mr Amarasinghe, who formerly led the JVP said he would form "the widest front" against imperialist, as they had not given up their agenda of dividing the country, the state-owned Daily News reported.

"The country has been betrayed through the UNHRC resolution," he said, adding that it mandated a hybrid judicial mechanism.

Japan lends $375m to Sri Lanka for new BIA terminal

Oct 8, 2015
Japan has agreed this week to lend Sri Lanka $375 million in order to build a new terminal at Colombo's Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA).

The agreement is part of the 'Partnership for Quality Infrastructure' and follows the Sri Lankan prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe's visit to Japan this week.

See here for more.

73 return after fleeing Sri Lanka to seek asylum in India

Oct 8, 2015
Seventy-three refugees who fled Sri Lanka during the armed conflict and sought asylum in India left on Thursday to return home, reports The Hindu.

Together with the assistance of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the refugees intend on returning to their homes in the North-East.

Many of those were young children when they fled and grew up in refugee camps across Tamil Nadu, where according to the paper, 1.02 lakh refugees remain.

Sri Lanka resolution key US outcome at UNHRC alongside Syria, Yemen

Oct 8, 2015
The resolution on Sri Lanka was a key United States outcome at the UN Human Rights Council's (UNHRC) 30th session, alongside Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Burundi, and Bahrain, the US State Department noted in a statement following the session, which ended earlier this month in Geneva.

"The U.S.-led resolution, which Sri Lanka co-sponsored, highlights the Sri Lankan government’s efforts to advance respect for human rights and strengthen good governance since January 2015, encourages the reform of domestic laws to facilitate accountability for past crimes related to the Sri Lankan civil war, affirms the importance of the participation of foreign judges and prosecutors in domestic accountability mechanisms, and requests further reporting by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)."
Sri Lanka parliament to debate OISL report this month
UPFA to stage countrywide protests against UNHRC resolution warns Sri Lanka MP
Sri Lanka acquires EU grant to develop Central and UVA Provinces
US announces further support for demining efforts in Sri Lanka
Pastor harassed by officials and Buddhist monks
UNHRC resolution betrayed country - former JVP leader
Japan lends $375m to Sri Lanka for new BIA terminal
73 return after fleeing Sri Lanka to seek asylum in India
Sri Lanka resolution key US outcome at UNHRC alongside Syria, Yemen
‘Inclusion of exiled victims will be litmus test for Sri Lanka’ – Frances Harrison
Sri Lanka parliament to debate OISL report this month
UPFA to stage countrywide protests against UNHRC resolution warns Sri Lanka MP
Sri Lanka acquires EU grant to develop Central and UVA Provinces
US announces further support for demining efforts in Sri Lanka
Pastor harassed by officials and Buddhist monks
UNHRC resolution betrayed country - former JVP leader
Japan lends $375m to Sri Lanka for new BIA terminal
73 return after fleeing Sri Lanka to seek asylum in India
Sri Lanka resolution key US outcome at UNHRC alongside Syria, Yemen
‘Inclusion of exiled victims will be litmus test for Sri Lanka’ – Frances Harrison