Tamil Affairs

Tamil News

Latest news from and about the homeland

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Activists protest mineral sand mining threatening East coast
Environmentalists and civil society activists protested at Galle Face in Colombo on 17 June against proposed heavy mineral sand mining along the eastern coastline from Oluvil to Pothuvil, warning that the project threatens the land, fisheries and livelihoods of Tamil and Muslim communities across the Eastern Province. According to the People's Alliance for Right to Land (PARL), exploration…

Tamil NGO worker arrested by TID in Kilinochchi

May 30, 2016

Updated 06:54 GMT

Another Tamil man was arrested by the Terrorism Investigation Department (TID), who accused him of plotting to restart the LTTE.

Father of two Sankaralingam Sasikaran, 30, was arrested on Monday evening in Kilinochchi and taken to the 2nd floor of the TID headquarters in Colombo, according to his wife.

Mr Sasikaran, originally from Sinnaoorani, Batticaloa, was living in Bharathipuram, Kilinochchi, where he was employed by a local NGO, which worked with war-affected households and providing education to children.

SLMC leader says Eastern CM should apologise

May 29, 2016
The leader of the Sri Lankan Muslim Congress, Rauf Hakeem, has called for the Eastern province's chief minister, Nazeer Ahamed to apologise unconditionally for telling a navy officer at an event in Sampur on May 20 to "just get out from here".

Mr Hakeem, whose party represents the chief minister, said some parties would take political advantage of such incidents.

"We should not get caught in the attempts of some parties ready to create rifts," he was quoted by Colombo Page as saying.

"We buried the demons during the last general election. We should find ways to not to let them resurrect," he added.

Sri Lankan army says ammunition found in Kilinochchi well

May 29, 2016
The Sri Lankan army announced it would be launching an investigation after ten claymore mines, 42 mortar bombs and 65 hand grenades were found in an abandoned well in Kilinochchi.

The army spokesperson, Brigadier Jayanath Jayaweera said it was likely to have been hidden during the armed conflict by the LTTE.

See here and here.

Murdered Tamil journalist Aiyathurai Nadesan remembered in Batticaloa

May 29, 2016
The 12th anniversary of assassinated Tamil journalist Aiyathurai Nadesan was observed today in Batticaloa The remembrance ceremony was organized by the Eastern Provincial Journalists Federation and Jaffna Press Club.
Photograph:Tamil Guardian


Mr Nadesan, commonly known as ‘Nellai Nadesan,’ was shot dead by a paramilitary group when he was on his way to his office in 2004. As a profile journalist and a columnist, he worked for local Tamil dailies and international news agencies.

Sri Lankan soldiers oversee another Hindu ceremony in HSZ

May 29, 2016

Sri Lankan troops oversaw a Hindu ceremony at a temple located within the Palali High Security Zone (HSZ) in Jaffna on Sunday, as Tamil devotees were allowed in to pray.

The Sri Lankan military organised transport in and out of the Manampirai Pillayar Temple and escorted civilians around the site, situated within the Palali Army Cantonments.

Sri Lankan president defends land releases with talk of bolstering security

May 28, 2016
Sri Lanka’s president has defended the small scale release of land held by the military to their rightful Tamil owners in the North-East by pledging that national security “has been further strengthened”.

Speaking to a gathering of the Sri Lankan community in Japan, Maithripala Sirisena emphasised that “the national security of Sri Lanka has been further strengthened and it has not weakened in any way,” according to the President’s official media division.

He also “vehemently rejected the claims by some websites that the Government is betraying the security forces,” it reported.

Defending the release of land by his government in the Tamil North-East, the president assured the crowd that he has taken "every step" to ensure the national security. "There is no threat whatsoever,” he said. “We have taken every step to ensure the national security."

Mr Sirisena was responding to a question from the audience, with regards to criticism he has received for releasing the land – an issue that has seen dozens of protests by Tamils in the North-East in this year alone.

"They (the Tamils) have waited not one or two years but 27 years to get their lands back," Mr Sirisena said.

No foreign involvement in war crimes probe - Ranil

May 28, 2016

The war crimes mechanism mandated by a UN resolution last October will not include foreign participation, despite the binding resolution's call for international involvement in any accountability mechanism.

Eastern province CM says everyone should apologise

May 28, 2016
The chief minister of the Eastern province, Nazeer Ahamed criticised the military's decision to boycott future events over the incident with the navy officer last week, calling instead for everyone to apologise.

Mr Ahamed told a navy officer to "just get out from here" at an event on May 20th in a school in Sampur.

In a letter to the prime minister and president, Mr Ahamed said the navy officer should apologise for his "grossly offensive conduct, an offence under the Penal Code", Colombo Page reported.

"I would not hesitate to express my unequivocal regret and apologies to all those who were present, including the staff and students of the school, the foreign dignitary and the concerned naval officer for my strong but justifiable reaction," he added.

Sri Lankan police shoot at Tamil youth in Mullaitivu

May 28, 2016

Sri Lankan police on Saturday shot at a Tamil man in Mullaitivu after he demanded to see an arrest warrant.

Police in civil pictured with the gun used to shoot at the Tamil man

The 26 year old man, Vivekanandan Thijeevan was at home in the highly militarised Keppapilavu mode village when two police officers from the Mulliyawalai police station arrived stating the magistrate had issued an arrest warrant for him.

When Mr Thijeevan demanded to see the arrest warrant prior to being taken in custody, one of the police officers who was dressed in civilian clothes fired two shots at his feet. He was then forcibly taken into custody.

Multimillion dollar projects in Polonnaruwa to go to China

May 28, 2016
Five projects in the Sri Lankan president's home town of Polonnaruwa are to be given to Chinese companies, despite the government's previous announcement of competitive bids, the Sunday Times reported.

A memorandum of understanding between the two countries was signed in April for projects including drinking water supply, infrastructure and an agro-econonomic centre, the paper added.

The projects will be funded by Chinese loans, dependent on Chinese companies, workers and goods being recruited.
SLMC leader says Eastern CM should apologise
Sri Lankan army says ammunition found in Kilinochchi well
Murdered Tamil journalist Aiyathurai Nadesan remembered in Batticaloa
Sri Lankan soldiers oversee another Hindu ceremony in HSZ
Sri Lankan president defends land releases with talk of bolstering security
No foreign involvement in war crimes probe - Ranil
Eastern province CM says everyone should apologise
Sri Lankan police shoot at Tamil youth in Mullaitivu
Multimillion dollar projects in Polonnaruwa to go to China
Sinhala farmers settled on state land in Batticaloa
SLMC leader says Eastern CM should apologise
Sri Lankan army says ammunition found in Kilinochchi well
Murdered Tamil journalist Aiyathurai Nadesan remembered in Batticaloa
Sri Lankan soldiers oversee another Hindu ceremony in HSZ
Sri Lankan president defends land releases with talk of bolstering security
No foreign involvement in war crimes probe - Ranil
Eastern province CM says everyone should apologise
Sri Lankan police shoot at Tamil youth in Mullaitivu
Multimillion dollar projects in Polonnaruwa to go to China
Sinhala farmers settled on state land in Batticaloa