Tamil Affairs

Tamil News

Latest news from and about the homeland

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  The lawyer representing detained Tamil rapper Sangeethsan Ganeskumar challenged allegations that his client sought to revive the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) during proceedings before the Jaffna Magistrate's Court this week, arguing that the material cited by police contains no reference to the organisation or its leadership. Sangeethsan, better known by his stage name…

Vigil begins in Chemmani, demanding justice for mass grave victims

A sustained three-day vigil titled the “Unextinguished Flame” commenced this morning in Chemmani, Jaffna, as Tamil families and activists gathered to demand international justice for the victims buried in the Chemmani mass grave.

Sri Lanka launches probe into assets of 28 politicians and ex-Army commander

Sri Lanka’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has launched a wide-ranging investigation into the wealth and property holdings of 28 prominent political figures, including current and former ministers, as well as a former Commander of the Sri Lanka Army accused of war crimes.

Valikamam North land protest enters second day as Tamils demand military withdrawal

Valikamam North residents stage continuous protest demanding release of lands occupied by the Sri Lankan military for over 30 years

UN Human Rights Chief to visit Chemmani as Tamils launch protest demanding international justice

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, is set to visit Sri Lanka this week on a four-day official tour, with a scheduled stop at the Chemmani mass gravesite in Jaffna, where at least 19 human skeletons, including the remains of three children, were recently exhumed. 

Jaffna activist calls for ICC referral ahead of UN High Commissioner's visit

Mariranjini Nirmalanathan, the secretary of the Association for Enforced Disappearances in Jaffna, has called on the UN High Commissioner to take steps to advance accountability at the International Criminal Court and meet with families of the disappeared during his visit to the island.

In recent weeks, Tamil families of the disappeared have been calling on the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, to meet with them during his four day visit to the island to hear directly from victim survivors. 

The UN High Commissioner will be visiting from June 23 to June 26 and is expected to go to Jaffna, Trincomalee, Colombo and Kandy.

Israel, Iran and Sri Lanka

The escalating conflict between Israel and Iran is reverberating across the globe, disrupting supply chains, fuelling oil price hikes, and unsettling fragile economies. Few countries will be watching these developments with more anxiety than Sri Lanka. For Colombo, the fallout could have far-reaching economic and political consequences.

Valikamam North residents launch protest demanding return of military-occupied lands

Tamils in Valikamam North launch peaceful protest demanding release of lands occupied by the Sri Lankan military for over 35 years

The problem with ‘Tourist Family’ and Kollywood’s whitewashing

The film, like so many other Kollywood films that have approached the Eelam Tamil story before it, falls disappointingly short.

Tamils resist Sri Lankan Navy land acquisition attempt in Mullaitivu

Residents of Silavaththai in Mullaitivu’s Maritimepattu division have successfully halted a land survey intended to formalise the acquisition of private land currently occupied by the Sri Lankan Navy.

Trincomalee activist interrogated by Sri Lanka’s TID ahead of UN visit

Sebastian Devi, Chairperson of the Trincomalee District Association of Families of the Forcibly Disappeared, was subjected to a three-hour interrogation by officers from Sri Lanka’s Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) at her home on 16 June.