Tamil Affairs

Tamil News

Latest news from and about the homeland

Sri Lanka's parliament on Tuesday approved a further extension of the country's state of public emergency, with all seven votes against the measure cast by Tamil Members of Parliament. The motion was passed by 135 votes in favour and seven against, a majority of 128. The seven MPs who opposed the extension were Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, Sivagnanam Shritharan, K. Kodeeswaran, G. Srineshan, T.…

British MPs reiterate commitment to Tamil genocide recognition

British parliamentarians reiterated their commitment to working towards justice for the genocide committed against the Tamil people, at an event in parliament last week.

Conservative parliamentarian Robert Halfon said he would “continue the fight for justice for the Tamil people,” speaking at the event organised by the British Tamil Conservatives.

Sri Lanka police initiate permanent land-grab in Manipay

A Sri Lankan police station has begun attempts to permanently seize privately-owned land which it occupies in Jaffna.

TNA backs further tests at Mannar mass grave

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has called for further testing of bone samples from a mass grave site in Mannar, where the remains of over 320 people, including children, have been found so far.

Sinhalese man arrested for drug possession in Vavuniya

<p>A Sinhalese man was arrested in possession of cannabis in Vavuniya on Friday.</p> <p>The 54-year-old from Ja-Ela was found in possession of 9kg of cannabis when the Colombo-bound bus he was on was searched by police in Puliyankulam.</p> <p>Police said he would be produced before court following investigations.</p>

Sinhala leftist party slams government for ‘treachery’ over UN resolution

<p>Sri Lanka’s Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP) has slammed the current government for reportedly agreeing to a UN resolution at the Human Rights Council, calling it the “worst form of treachery”.</p> <p>"It is absolutely shocking that the Sri Lanka government is not prepared to amend this "bogus" Resolution,” &nbsp;LSSP leader, Tissa Vitarana, said in a statement. “It is the worst form of treachery and no member of Parliament should condone this.”&nbsp;</p> <p>The LSSP joins several other Sinhala political groups in rejecting the UN resolution, including the Sri Lankan president himself, who called for the resolution to be withdrawn.</p>

Australia launches largest ever military exercise with Sri Lanka

Australia is set to launch a set of military exercises from Sri Lanka next week as part of the Indo-Pacific Endeavour 2019 (IPE-19) - Australia’s largest ever defence engagement.

UN report is ‘atrocious lie’ claims Sri Lankan delegation member

A Sri Lankan parliamentarian who will be a member of a delegation to be sent to the UN Human Rights Council next week, has slammed the UN human rights chief’s report on the island, calling it "an atrocious piece of writing containing lies, half lies and highly contestable statements”.

UN resolution on Sri Lanka is same as two years ago, claims foreign minister

Sri Lanka’s foreign minister declared his government has “never done anything detrimental” to the country’s military, claiming an upcoming United Nations resolution is simply an extension of one previously passed two years ago, in an effort to allay Sinhala nationalist fears this week.

More militarisation of Tamil pre-schoolchildren in Mullaitivu

The Sri Lankan army continued with its militarisation of Tamil children in the North-East, with yet another event at a preschool in Mullaitivu this week.

Sri Lanka needs ‘deadline for delivery’ says ICJ

The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) has called on the UN Human Rights Council to ensure that Sri Lanka is given “a deadline for delivery” to implement commitments laid out in a resolution which mandates a hybrid accountability mechanism.