Tamil Affairs

Tamil News

Latest news from and about the homeland

A rare trilingual stone inscription featuring texts in Tamil, Chinese, and Persian has been added to the UNESCO Memory of the World Register. The tablet, dated 15 February 1409, was discovered in 1911 in Galle, on the southern tip of the island, by a British engineer H.F. Tomalin. It is thought to have been installed by the famed Chinese admiral Zheng He during one of his voyages across the…

Murdered Tamil journalist Nimalarajan remembered in Jaffna

Journalists from the Jaffna Press Club and Jaffna locals held a remembrance on Thursday for the murdered Tamil journalist, Mylvaganam Nimalarajan.

Mr Nimalarajan, a senior journalist who contributed to the BBC Tamil and Sinhala services, the Tamil daily Virakesari and Sinhala weekly Ravaya, was murdered on October 19th 2000.

Sri Lanka's military receives Buddhist monks in Kilinochchi

Sri Lanka's military in Kilinochchi hosted Buddhist monks in a ceremony for religious harmony for peace and prosperity reports the army website. 

The Buddhist monks were received to participate in the ceremony held at the offices of the 16th battalion of Sri Lanka's 57 division. 

Sri Lanka's military hands out 'gift packs' to pregnant women in Kilinochchi

 

Sri Lanka's military stationed in Kilinochchi presented nutritional packs to pregnant mothers in the Mallavi reports the army website.

Troops from the 65 Division of Sri Lanka's military held an event at the Ministry of Health office were 35 pregnant women were asked to attend and receive packages from troops of the 651, 652 and 653 Brigades.

Sri Lankan PM says govt will repay debt within 2 years

The Sri Lankan prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe said on Friday, the government would repay Rs 3 trillion debt within two years. 

"The Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera will make the provisions in the 2018 & 2019 s to pay this massive public debt," Mr Wickremesinghe was quoted by the Colombo Page as saying at an event in Naththandiya in Puttalam district on Wednesday. 

"Finding such a massive sum of money is not an easy task," the prime minister said, adding, "our generation should repay the debt without handing over to the next generation."

Buddhist clergy say new constitution is 'not needed'

Sri Lanka's senior Buddhist clergy from the Malwatu and Asgiriya chapters urged the government to "stop drafting" the new constitution immediately, stating it was "not needed". 

“We have decided the unsuitability of the proposed Constitution. We say that a new Constitution is not needed. The present Constitution is good for us. We will express protest of the Maha Sangha after briefing the Mahanayakes of the Asgiriya and Malwathu Chapters, Ramannaya and Amarapura Nikayas," they were quoted by the Daily Mirror as saying. 

NPC members attend training workshop in New Delhi

Members and officials of the Northern Provincial Council took part in an educational workshop in New Delhi last week.

Danish Tamils remember 2nd Lt. Maalathy

Danish Tamils remembered 2nd Lt. Maalathy in the city of Ikast this week.

Two Tamil students drown at Mullaitivu beach

A Tamil student has drowned, and another is also believed to have drowned, after swimming at a Mullaitivu beach on Wednesday.

18-year-old Anthony Claudus Vinothan Croos and 17-year-old Anton Amalraj Dinojan, both Mullaitivu locals, went missing while swimming with a group of friends.

The body of one student was recovered.

Sri Lankan Navy and local fishermen have been searching for the other.

Central Bank says Sri Lanka has 'clear plan' to deal with debt crisis

The head of Sri Lanka's Central Bank, Indrajit Coomaraswamy said this week the country had what he described as a "clear plan" to deal with the debt crisis. 

The country is due to repay over $5 billion in the next 12 months. 

"We don't see it as a (sovereign default) risk," Mr Coomaraswamy told Reuters, adding that the government had "committed itself" to using divestment proceeds "for liability management."

"We are an outlier on our debt metrics, but we've never missed a single debt repayment commitment, and we certainly don't intend to do that," he said. 

"We feel we have a clear plan to manage the situation."

Sri Lanka's economic development is 'geographically uneven' says World Bank

Sri Lanka's economic development across the provinces is "geographically uneven", the World Bank said in its 'Vision 2025: Sri Lanka's path to prosperity' document, highlighting the North-East as an "underserved community and region".