Tamil Affairs

Tamil News

Latest news from and about the homeland

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Amnesty International has called for the release of detained Tamil rapper Sangeethan Ganeshkumar and renewed demands for the repeal of Sri Lanka's Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), warning that the legislation continues to facilitate arbitrary detention and human rights abuses. In a statement issued this week, the international rights organisation expressed concern over the continued use of…

US discusses ‘enduring security partnership’ with Sri Lankan war criminal

The US ambassador to Sri Lanka spoke of her government’s “enduring security partnership” and “joint training opportunities” with Colombo, after meeting with a former Sri Lankan commander who stands credibly accused of war crimes.

Julie Chung posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, on her meeting with Kamal Gunaratne last week.

Jaffna university commemorates union leader murdered by Sri Lankan army

Students at the University of Jaffna paid tribute to former student union leader Sellathurai Purusothaman, who was killed 15 years ago along with another Tamil youth by the Sri Lankan Army.

Jaffna University students prepare for Maaveerar Naal

Students at the University of Jaffna cleaned a memorial on the campus and lit flames this evening, as they began preparations for Maaveerar Naal, a day to commemorate those who gave their lives in the struggle for Tamil Eelam.

Maaveerar Naal is marked on November 27 in memory of the first death of a Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam cadre (LTTE), Lt. Shankar who died in combat on November 27, 1982. The date is marked by Eelam Tamils across the island and around the world.

Sri Lanka interrogates Tamil journalist over article from three years ago

Sri Lanka’s Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) interrogated Uthayan journalist Dileep Amuthan for over 4 hours this week, as they questioned him about a 2020 article on Maaveerar Naal, a national day of remembrance for Eelam Tamils.

Amuthan was summoned to the TID headquarters in Colombo on Wednesday, where he was questioned on the article. He was also interrogated on the paper’s publishing of images and quotes of Velupillai Prabhakaran, leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), on his birthday, 26 November 2020.

Lyca ventures further into Sri Lanka as French court issues €10 million fine

The Tamil-owned telecoms company Lycamobile has had its former CEO convicted and was ordered to pay a fine of €10 million after being found guilty of money laundering and fraud by a French court last month, just weeks after the company launched a Sri Lankan production arm looking to boost Sinhala-language cinema.

The verdict in the Parisian court comes after years of controversial practices by the multimillion-dollar company, which is reported to have links with the war crimes accused Rajapaksa family in Sri Lanka, and is looking to expand its operations on the island further.

Remembering Thamilselvan

 

Today marks sixteen years since S. P. Thamilselvan, the head of the political wing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), was assassinated by the Sri Lankan air force (SLAF).

In pictures: Thousands across Europe mark Tamil Eelam Women's Uprising Day

In cities across Europe, thousands of Tamils marked Tamil Eelam Women's Uprising Day this month, paying tribute to 2nd Lt. Maalathy, the first female fighter of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to lose her life in the Tamil armed struggle.

See photographs from events across Europe below.

Remembering the Jaffna exodus – 500,000 displaced

On October 30, 1995, over half a million Tamil men, women and children fled their homes in Jaffna as the Sri Lankan military launched a military offensive to capture the peninsula, under the leadership of then president Chandrika Kumaratunga.

Sinhalese settlers feed explosives to Tamil farmer's cattle

Sinhalese settlers who have been encroaching upon land used by Tamil farmers to graze their cattle in Mayilathamadu, have reportedly fed a cow owned by a Tamil armer an explosive, ripping its jaw into shreds.

Genocide apologist looks to ward off justice for Sri Lanka’s war crimes

Sri Lankan parliamentarian Sarath Weerasekara, the current Chairmen of the Sectoral Oversight Committee for National Security, told a press conference in Colombo that he is about to submit a comprehensive report on the “real state of affairs” to ward off international accountability over mass atrocities committed by Sri Lanka’s armed forces.