Tamil Affairs

Tamil News

Latest news from and about the homeland

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Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA) leader Mano Ganesan has accused the National People's Power (NPP) government of hypocrisy over the arrest of Tamil rapper Sangeethsan Ganeskumar under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), pointing to NPP politicians who had themselves circulated songs glorifying the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) during election campaigns. Sangeethsan, known…

Keppapulavu protesters urge action to Swiss officials

Meeting with Swiss officials last week, displaced families from Keppapulavu who have been protesting for 730 days for their lands urged them to take action. 

UK urges Sri Lanka to 'implement in full' UNHRC resolution

The United Kingdom on Monday urged Sri Lanka to "implement in full" the co-sponsored resolution 30/1 of the UN Human Rights Council, which calls for a hybrid mechanism of justice to examining crimes committed at the end of the armed conflict. 

Tamil Nadu chief minister urges Modi to secure fishermen release

The chief minister of Tamil Nadu this week wrote to the Indian premier, Narendra Modi, urging him to secure the release of 46 fishermen currently detained in Sri Lanka by the navy. 

Sri Lanka asks IMF for loan extension and relaxed spending targets

Sri Lanka has asked the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to extend a $1.5 billion loan by another year and for tight spending targets to be relaxed ahead of key election, Reuters reports.

The IMF programme is crucial for Sri Lanka to continue ensure favourable borrowing terms. However the fund delayed discussions on the sixth tranche of a three-year loan in November following the country’s plunge into a political crisis over the Sri Lankan president’s attempt to replace the prime minister.

FCO asked to clarify role in withdrawal of Sri Lankan brigadier arrest warrant

A British MP has requested clarification as to whether the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) intervened in favour of withdrawing an arrest warrant issued on a Sri Lankan brigadier after he was found guilty of public order offences including threatening Tamil protesters in London last year.

Writing to the Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt about Brigadier Priyanka Fernando, the former military attaché at the Sri Lankan High Commission in London, Siobhain McDonagh MP said:

Resignations calls continue as Harrow Mayor forced to apologise over Brigadier photos

 

Calls for the Mayor of the London borough of Harrow to resign continued among the local Tamil community today, despite the Mayor being forced to apologise for photographs she had taken with senior Sri Lankan military officials, including the brigadier found guilty of threatening Tamil protesters in London.

Two Sinhalese youth arrested over illegal sand-mining in Vavuniya

Two Sinhalese youths have been arrested for illegal sand-mining in Vavuniya.

Protest in London in solidarity with Tamil families of disappeared

British Tamils protested in London on Monday, in solidarity with Tamil families of the disappeared protesting in Kilinochchi.

2 army officers arrested over extortion

<p>Two Sri Lankan army officers were arrested today over the attempted extortation of money from a sand mining businessman in Thanamalwila.&nbsp;</p> <p>The two officers reportedly asked for Rs 500,000 from the businessman.&nbsp;</p>

Mullaitivu village protests in solidarity with families of disappeared

Residents of a Mullaitivu village who were unable to travel to the disappearances rally in Kilinochchi on Monday held a solidarity protest in their village instead.