Tamil Affairs

Tamil News

Latest news from and about the homeland

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A Guinness World Record set by nearly 5,000 Bharatanatyam dancers at Galle Face in Colombo has sparked controversy, after activists questioned why the official recognition was awarded to organisers and an overseas instructor rather than the thousands of performers who paid to take part. The SANGAMAM-2026 event, held on 14 June, saw 4,988 dancers successfully set a new Guinness World Record for…

SLA Massacre of 32 Tamils in Othiyamalai remembered

Villagers in Mullaitivu marked 31 years since the massacre of 32 young Tamils by the Sri Lankan Army in Othiyamalai.

Photograph: Tamilwin.com

On the 2nd December 1984, men in the village of Othiyamalai, Mullaitivu were rounded up by the Sri Lankan Army, dragged to the village community centre and stripped naked and tied up by their clothes.

Thousands left homeless in Chennai as relief operations mount

Photo: FirstPost

Incessant rainfalls have continued to swell reservoirs and rivers in Tamil Nadu, with the capital Chennai among the worst affected area.

Large parts of the city are under water, and its international airport has been closed for a second day.

Rains have caused the closure of schools for 17 days now, with electricity and communication lines suspended.

More rain fell on the city in one day than in the UK in an entire year, with  a record 49 cm of rainfall in Tambaram in 24 hours, from 8.30 a.m. on Tuesday.

Tamil political detainee on day release robbed by police

A Tamil political detainee, held in a rehabilitation camp under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, was robbed by police while he on day release to visit his sick daughter at their home in Chavakachcheri, Jaffna, Sri Lanka Mirror reported.

Mangala 'accuses' Mahinda of having links to Tamil diaspora

Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera has 'accused' former president Mahinda Rajapaksa of making "secret deals" with the LTTE and the diaspora, The Island reported.

Mr Samaraweera brought pictures to the parliament, which showed Mr Rajapaksa with some diaspora Tamils.

"I would like to give these photographs to my friend in the opposition, MEP leader Dinesh Gunawardena. I have heard that Dinesh Gunawardena has a Rajapaksa shrine at his home and he is worshipping the Rajapaksa’s pictures. So, Dinesh can take these, too, and put them up there in that shrine," he said.

Paramilitary leader Pillayan remanded

Former Eastern Province Chief Minister Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan, who was detained for the murder of former Tamil MP Joseph Pararajasingham, was remanded until December 16 by the Batticaloa Magistrate Court today.

Mr Pillayan was arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department in October, when he arrived at the CID office in Colombo to give a statement over the killing of Mr Pararajasingham.

Sri Lankan court extended detention of 14 Indian fishermen

A Sri Lankan court on Thursday extended the detention of 14 Indian fishermen until December 17, reports the PTI.

The men, who were arrested on November 19, were charged with violating the International Maritime Boundary.

New govt brought international community together on Sri Lanka says Sirisena

The Sri Lankan president, Maithripala Sirisena on Thursday lauded the government's efforts within the international community, telling parliament that it was able to bring the international community together on Sri Lanka.

"Sri Lanka had in the past caused a split in the international community over the human rights issue. But after the January 08 democratic revolution, the new Government was able to build good relations with all countries and the UN and ensure the international community took one stand on Sri Lanka," he was quoted by the Colombo Page as saying.

"Even the UN Human Rights Council was split on the Sri Lanka issue but that situation had now changed," he added.

TNA reiterates call for release of all Tamil political prisoners

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) reiterated calls for the release of all Tamil political prisoners in parliament on Thursday.

The leader of the TNA R Sampanthan said he cannot understand why the governemtn is refusing to release the Tamil political prisoners.

He added that both the Janatha Vimukthi Peeramuna (JVP) and former army commander Sarath Fonseka had also backed calls to free the detainees.

'Have we not lost enough lives for our rights?' - Jaffna Uni protests in tribute to student who committed suicide (26 Nov 2015)

One Billion Rising event to discuss state violence against women

An event hosted by the global One Billion Rising movement, due to take place this Saturday in New York City, will discuss state and police violence against women in several countries, including Sri Lanka, the US, Somalia, Palestine, India and China.

The discussion, which is co-hosted in Columbia Law School by the African American Policy Forum and the Centre for Intersectionality and Social Policy Studies at Columbia Law School, will have several prominent academic speakers and will be moderated by Laura Flanders.

Dr Nimmi Gowrinathan, an expert on gender and violence, will lead the discussion on Sri Lanka and state violence against Tamil women.

Chennai at standstill due to heavy rain

The capital of Tamil Nadu, Chennai, and other areas in the state have flooded after heavy rainfalls.

The downpour is set to continue for the next 4 days, which is likely to worsen the current situation.

People living on banks of the Adyar river in Chennai were evacuated, according to local officials.

Many Chennai residents used Twitter to provide help and advice to locals and brought awareness of the hardship faced. Many are tweeting their phone numbers and offering shelters in their own homes to those in need, while several others complained about the lack of coverage in national media.