Tamil Affairs

Tamil News

Latest news from and about the homeland

A fundamental rights petition will be filed before Sri Lanka's Supreme Court seeking the release of Tamil artist Sangeethsan Ganeskumar, better known as HipHop Sangee, after his arrest and detention under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), President's Counsel M. A. Sumanthiran announced on Thursday. The move comes amid growing criticism of the rapper's detention and mounting calls from…

Court extends order halting winding-up of SriLankan Airlines amid $209 million bond dispute

A Sri Lankan court has extended an enjoining order until 30 July, temporarily preventing the winding-up of SriLankan Airlines over its failure to repay a defaulted bond worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

SJB Northern Organiser calls for international probe into Chemmani mass grave

Umaachandra Prakash, the Northern Provincial Organiser of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) and a member of the Colombo Municipal Council, has called for an international investigation into the Chemmani mass grave, where dozens of human skeletal remains have recently been unearthed in Jaffna.

Chemmani mass graves ‘clear evidence of war crimes and a genocidal campaign’ - ITAK

The Ilankai Thamil Arasuk Katchi (ITAK) has issued a formal letter to Sri Lankan president Anura Kumara Dissanayake, calling for immediate international oversight, accountability, and justice in the ongoing Chemmani mass grave investigation in Jaffna.

Sri Lankan Navy accused of covert land surveys in Chundikkulam, Jaffna

The Sri Lankan Navy has allegedly been conducting land surveys in the J/435 Grama Niladhari Division of Chundikkulam, located in Vadamarachchi East, Jaffna, raising fears of further land appropriation and military expansion in the Tamil homeland.

Fragile foundations

The imposition of a 30% tariff on Sri Lankan exports by US President Donald Trump should be a stark wake-up call for Colombo. It’s ailing economy has just been dealt another severe blow. But instead of confronting the systemic issues at the heart of the island’s financial frailty, officials have chosen to spin the decision as an isolated diplomatic setback and temporary negotiating hurdle. The truth is far more damning. This tariff has exposed the deep and long-standing fragility of Sri Lanka’s economic model, weighed down not just by corruption, but by impunity, militarisation and occupation.

Horror in Vankalai: The 2006 massacre of a Tamil family and the quest for justice

Last month marked 19 years since the one of the most gruesome murders of a Tamil family by the Sri Lankan military. We look back on the events of the murder and the struggle to find justice for it.

Kilinochchi unites in memory of Nadesan Janakan as inaugural cricket trophy concludes

Tamils in Kilinochchi came together in a moving tribute to honour the life and legacy of student and cricketer Nadesan Janakan, with the conclusion of the inaugural Janakan Trophy (20 overs) last month. 

Janakan was just 16 years old when he was forcibly disappeared in Mullivaikkal in May 2009.

Sri Lanka deploys riot squad after police kill Tamil man in Vavuniya

Man dies during police chase in Vavuniya, sparking public outrage and unrest

Sri Lankan Navy arrests seven Tamil Nadu fishermen off Nedunthivu coast

A group of seven fishermen from Tamil Nadu were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy earlier today for allegedly entering Sri Lankan territorial waters and engaging in fishing activities near Nedunthivu, an island off the northern Jaffna Peninsula.

Chemmani mass grave excavation temporarily paused after recovery of 65 skeletal remains

The second phase of the Chemmani mass grave excavation in Jaffna has been temporarily halted, following the recovery of 65 human skeletal remains, officials confirmed.