Tamil Affairs

Tamil News

Latest news from and about the homeland

Sri Lanka's parliament on Tuesday approved a further extension of the country's state of public emergency, with all seven votes against the measure cast by Tamil Members of Parliament. The motion was passed by 135 votes in favour and seven against, a majority of 128. The seven MPs who opposed the extension were Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, Sivagnanam Shritharan, K. Kodeeswaran, G. Srineshan, T.…

Presidential election not addressing Tamil concerns says TNA

Sri Lanka's presidential election does not address Tamil concerns, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) spokesperson Suresh Premachandran said on Sunday, stating that neither Mahinda Rajapaksa nor the common opposition candidate, Maithripala Sirisena were seeking to find solutions to problems faced by the Tamil people.

“We know that there is corruption, we know there is a family rule. We know those things must be removed. But at the same time Tamils are facing different issues,”

Premachandran told a press conference in Vavuniya at the weekend, the Sunday Leader reports.

"Tamils are facing various issues. There are hundreds of people who still can't go back to their own lands because Army is occupying them," the
Deccan Chronicle quoted him as saying.

"There are hundreds of political prisoners. Even after 5 years (of the end of war), people are still in camps".

Tamil family removed from Perth despite protests

Forced removal: The tearful Tamil father taken to the airport, after being removed from the Redcliffe detention centre. Pictures: Alf Sorbello/PerthNow

A Tamil family seeking asylum in Australia has been removed from a detention centre in Perth, in order to be taken to the government's detention centre in Nauru.

Protestors attempted to blockade the driveway of the detention centre in Redcliffe, but were dragged away by police, reported PerthNow.

US dismisses 'baseless' Sri Lankan bribery allegations

The United States Embassy in Sri Lanka released a statement dismissing claims by a Sri Lankan government minister that he was offered a bribe by US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Michele J Sison.

Sri Lanka's Rehabilitation Minister Gunaratne Weerakoon claimed the US Embassy in Colombo were offering bribes and were “pumping money” into defeating incumbent Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the upcoming presidential polls.

Sri Lankan authorities arrest Indian nationals

Sri Lankan police have arrested two Indian citizens for an alleged breach of their visas, reports Ceylon Today.

Police in Ella initially arrested a man, reportedly a textile merchant from South India, for alleged visa violations. After receiving information from interrogating the individual, Sri Lankan authorities in Badulla went on to arrest another Indian national on the same charge.

See our earlier post: Bilateral relations? (10 Apr 2012)

Sri Lankan military university budget larger than all other universities combined

Sri Lanka’s Kotelawala Defence University (KDU) was allocated a government budget almost double that of all the other universities on the island combined, reports Colombo Telegraph.

Last year the government invested 16.3 billion rupees in the KDU, which houses under 1,500 students, training cadets for the Sri Lankan army, navy and air force.

The island's other universities, with over 88,000 students attending, received a combined government budget of 9.7 billion rupees.


Infographic: Colombo Telegraph

Army detain Tamils registered to reclaim 'LTTE gold'

Tamils who registered to reclaim personal assets from the Sri Lankan government, that were confiscated from banks running in the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam’s (LTTE) de-facto state, have been detained by the Sri Lankan army.

Following a government announcement alleging that all gold that had been deposited in the LTTE banks would be returned to Tamil families, families in the North-East travelled to Kilinochi on Thursday.

LTTE remains significant threat to Sri Lanka - Gotabaya

Sri Lanka's Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa said the re-emergence of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam remained the foremost threat to the country's national security, reported Ceylon Today.

Sri Lanka unperturbed by UK travel warning

Sri Lanka's tourism industry is unlikely to be affected by the recent travel advisory from the UK, which warned of political violence ahead of the presidential election next month.

Industry experts told the Sunday Times that large-scale election violence was unlikely and the peak season was looking good.

“Bookings are great (for December) and I don’t expect any election violence that would deter arrivals,” one official said, adding: “These are routine advisories issued ahead of any election”.

Rumy Jauffer, managing director of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, said that arrivals would reach the targeted 1.5 million this year with China closing in on the UK’s position as the second largest country of origin.

Sri Lankan military helps Tesco distribute school uniforms to Tamil children

British retail giant Tesco has donated 7,000 school uniforms to Tamil children in Mullaiththivu, at an event organised by the Sri Lankan army.

The 68th division of the Security Force headquarters – Mullaiththivu coordinated the event in Puthukkudiyiruppu with officials from Tesco PLC and Hydramani Apparels, its production partner in Sri Lanka.

Major General Jagath Dias, who stands accused of mass atrocities committed during the final phase of the armed conflict in Sri Lanka, took part in the event as the chief guest.

Earlier this year Dias was refused a visa to Australia over the crimes he is suspected to have committed in 2009.

UNHCR warns more refugees risking Indian Ocean despite dire conditions

The UN Refugee Agency warned in a report released on Friday that the number of asylum seekers risking their lives in smugglers' boats in the Indian Ocean has risen despite the risks and attempts by governments at deterrence.

Listing countries from where people were fleeing, including Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, the UNHCR said that it "estimates that 54,000 people have undertaken irregular maritime journeys in the region so far this year, based on reports by local sources, media and survivors. This includes some 53,000 people leaving from the Bay of Bengal towards Thailand and Malaysia, and hundreds of others moving further south in the Indian Ocean."

"Conditions on the smugglers' boats were dire. Survivors consistently described overcrowded conditions and daily rations of one sparse meal and one to two cups of water. People who asked for more or tried to use the toilet out of turn were beaten or kicked down ladders by the armed crew on the deck above. An estimated 540 people have reportedly died this year at sea from such beatings, starvation or dehydration, and their bodies thrown overboard," the Refugee Agency added in a statement.