Tamil Affairs

Tamil News

Latest news from and about the homeland

Today marks 52 years since the death of Ponnuthurai Sivakumaran, the first Tamil to die in the liberation struggle.  Sivakumaran was a member of the Tamil Manavar Peravai (or Tamil Student Federation, TSF) and a leading militant in the early armed Tamil struggle. With decades of Sri Lankan state repression and deadly anti-Tamil pogroms already having taken place, Tamil militant…

Sixth day of Thileepan's hunger strike marked in Jaffna

The sixth day of Lt. Col. Thileepan's hunger strike was commemorated this morning Nallur, Jaffna, with local residents gathering to remember his protest. 

The LTTE's political wing leader launched his hunger strike on 15th September 1987, to call on the Indian government to honour their pledges made under the Indo-Lanka accord. 

Tamils face surveillance, harassment under NPP rule – new report

A new report by CIVICUS has warned that civic space in Sri Lanka remains “repressed” under the government of Anura Kumara Dissanayake, despite the president’s campaign promises to dismantle draconian laws and expand democratic rights.

'Little Jaffna' in London - Tamil Guardian hosts sold out screening at the Curzon

LJ

Tamil Guardian hosted a sold-out screening of the film 'Little Jaffna' last week in London, which was followed by a question-and-answer session with director Lawrence Valin and several cast members.

‘I have not done anything wrong’ - Chandrika requests more time before eviction

Former Sri Lankan president and accused war criminal Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga has said she will vacate her official residence in Colombo within two months, following the enactment of the Presidents’ Entitlements (Repeal) Act, which stripped ex-heads of state of housing and other privileges.

Her remarks come after former president Mahinda Rajapaksa was compelled to leave his Wijerama residence under the same law, an eviction he and his allies decried as “political terrorism.”

Former Sri Lankan Navy intelligence chief remanded over abduction

Former Director of Naval Intelligence, Rear Admiral (Rtd) Sarath Mohotti, has been remanded until September 24 after being arrested by Sri Lanka’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in connection with a series of abductions and disappearances.

Fifth day of Thileepan's hunger strike commemorated in Jaffna

The fifth day of Lt. Col. Thileepan's hunger strike was commemorated in Nallur, Jaffna, this morning. 

Thileepan started his hunger strike on 11th September 1987, to call on the Indian government to deliver on its pledges to the Tamil people. After refusing food and water for 11 days, Thileepan passed away.  

Thileepan's sacrifice remembered in Vavuniya

Tamils in Vavuniya gathered this morning to mark the 38th years since Lt. Col. Thileepan's hunger strike that was launched to call on the Indian government to deliver on its pledges to the Tamil people. 

Tamil families of the disappeared, activists and local politicians including Vavuniya municipal council chairman S Kandeepan, lit a flame in Thileepan's memory and garlanded his portrait. 

Sri Lanka’s online sex industry surges as women, minors and tourists drawn into exploitation

Sri Lanka is facing a sharp rise in online prostitution platforms, with dozens of websites and mobile applications openly advertising hundreds of sex services daily - many involving women as young as 18, and in some cases, underage children.

Tamil man takes his own life after Sri Lankan mob assault goes viral


A 34-year-old Tamil man has died by suicide after being brutally assaulted by villagers in Ramboda, Nuwara Eliya, who mistook him for a thief. Video footage of the assault was later circulated on social media, prompting the victim to take his own life.

Muslim student acquitted after nine month detention under Sri Lanka's PTA

Mohamed Rifai Suhail, was acquitted this week after he was detained last year under Sri Lanka's notorious Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), which has been disproportionately used against Tamils and Muslims for decades. 

The 21 year old student was arrested by the Dehiwala police in October 2024 for over a social media post which reportedly showed a sword pointing at an Israeli flag.