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…

Visitors to Sri Lanka up by 18% in September

Arrivals to Sri Lanka have increased by 18.1% in September, compared to the same month last year, according to the tourist promotion office.

Figures for the first 9 months have increased by 16%, to 693,772, compared to the previous year, reported LBO.

Visitors from Western Europe were behind most of the increase, with German visitors increasing by 46% and the so far disappointing British market showing an increase of 9.1%, compared to last September.

Australia deports Tamil asylum seekers

A day after a UK High Court halted the deportation of a number of Tamil asylum seekers over fears of torture on return, a Tamil asylum seeker in Australia was issued with a deportation notice.

The Tamil male, held in Melbourne, was told that he will be deported on 31st October. The notice states he will be liable for the cost of the deportation and will be invoiced before the set deportation.

KP does not represent the Tamils - Sampanthan

TNA’s leader R. Sampanthan has expressed surprise and confusion at the Sri Lankan government’s decision to use KP alias Kumaran Pathmanathan to facilitate talks with the Tamil Diaspora.

Stop 'futile propaganda exercises' - GTF, NCET

Speaking to The Island, the GTF spokesperson, Suren Surendiran and the president of NCET, Panchakulasingam Kandiah, reiterated the absurdity of the government's claims of dialogue with the diaspora, and warned the government 'not to engage in futile propaganda exercises to deceive the international community ahead of the forthcoming UPR'.

Kandiah said it was a 'deceptive move timed for UPR process on Nov 1 in Geneva and four months before the UNHRC was due to review progress on the US sponsored resolution that was passed last March targeting Sri Lanka'.

Emergency appeals lodged by Tamil deportees

Published 13:54 BST

Dozens of Tamil asylum seekers have sought last minute appeals against their deportation to Sri Lanka at the High Court on Tuesday.

Solicitors for the asylum seekers have cited previous evidence of Tamil deportees being tortured on arriving back in Sri Lanka, and lodged their appeals.

Speaking to The Guardian, Kulasegaram Geertharthanan, from Jein solicitors, said:

Deportations halted by last-minute injunctions

Published 16:48 BST

The UK’s High court has ordered the deportation of a number of Tamils to Sri Lanka be halted, after last-minute court injunctions were filed by solicitors citing evidence that they may be tortured upon their return.

Speaking to the Guardian, 3 solicitors’ firms have confirmed that their clients were granted reprieves, with a further 10-12 firms believed to have also submitted injunctions.

UK Government's "inefficient" deportation system criticised

The British government has been accused of wasting tax payer’s money by deporting Tamils to Sri Lanka on half-empty planes.

The Independent reported on Monday that the chartered flights, which cost around £250,000 each, had passengers removed due to last minute injunctions, preventing them from being deported due to fears they will be tortured.

Mullivaikaal tourism an insult to Tamil sentiments – Karunanidhi

DMK leader M Karunanidhi has criticised the building of victory memorials in the North, accusing the Sri Lankan goverment of undertaking such projects purely to offend the sentiments of Tamils.

In a statement about the victory memorial and war museum being erected at the site of the final phase of the war in 2009, Karunanidhi said:

GTF - 'Diaspora will not barter justice'

The Global Tamil Forum, an international body comprising of Tamil diaspora groups, has reasserted the position of the diaspora, stating that justice for the deaths of over 40,000 people remains paramount over political negotiations.

Speaking to BBC Sinhala a spokesperson said,
'If Rajapaksa regime thinks that the Diaspora will compromise on the demand for justice through an independent international investigation into  the allegations of crimes committed at the end of the war, then he is wrong.

We will not barter the justice process to any political negotiations. Over 40,000 of our people were killed, we want to know the truth of what happened and how they perished.'

Responding to reports that the Sri Lankan government was to engage in talks with the Tamil diaspora, the GTF said,
'As far as we know there is no credible Diaspora organisation that is currently in any talks with the Government of Sri Lanka'

If (Sri Lankan President) Rajapaksa wanted to resolve the Tamil National Question he could have easily done so by talking with the elected members of the Tamil people the TNA... Nearly 4 years have passed but no genuine efforts have been made by Rajapaksa government in resolving the Tamil National Question.'

'We feel that because of the UN processes that are forthcoming where  Rajapaksa government will be answerable to the international community is  why he is now coming up with these suggestions of talks in such a rush.'

The spokesperson further stated,
'Unless the current government recognises that just as there is a Sinhala Nation that there is a Tamil Nation too in that island, there will be little point in talking'

Sampanthan trusts India to take up the Tamil issue

The leader of the TNA, R. Sampanthan, has affirmed his faith in India to take up the Tamil issue on the island of Sri Lanka, reported Uthayan.

Delivering a statement on the recent trip of a TNA delegation to New Delhi, Sampanthan is reported to have said:

“Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has given his assurance that India will take responsibility in ensuring that the Tamil people in Sri Lanka can live with justice, dignity and self-respect. Manmohan Singh said that he will do everything he can for this.”

“Upon meeting leader of the opposition, Sushma Swaraj, we were reassured that this would remain the case regardless of regime changes in India. She further said that it is not just the Tamil Nadu government that is concerned about the Tamils in Sri Lanka. Each state in India is on the side of the Tamil people. Ms Swaraj told us that all Indian states are committed to resolving the problems of the Tamils in Sri Lanka.”

“India’s attitude to the problems of Tamil people is a sympathetic one. I believe that they will soon take up responsibility in finding a solution to these problems.”