Tamil Affairs

Tamil News

Latest news from and about the homeland

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Amnesty International has called for the release of detained Tamil rapper Sangeethan Ganeshkumar and renewed demands for the repeal of Sri Lanka's Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), warning that the legislation continues to facilitate arbitrary detention and human rights abuses. In a statement issued this week, the international rights organisation expressed concern over the continued use of…

Victims of Tamil genocide remembered in Batticaloa

The tens of thousands of Tamils massacred in the final days of the armed conflict in May 2009 were remembered in Batticaloa this evening. 

A memorial flame was lit at Kallady beach in Batticaloa and flowers were sprinkled in the sea in remembrance of the victims of the Tamil genocide. 

Tamil Genocide Remembrance day commemorated in Denmark

Danish Tamil gathered in Copenhagen to commemorate Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day.

A procession was held through Copenhagen to the City Hall square where speeches were delivered and attendees demanded justice for the victims of genocide and war crimes committed by the Sri Lankan state. 

British Tamils protest through London to mark 14 years since Mullivikkal massacre

Hundreds of British Tamils gathered in Parliament Square and Trafalgar Square earlier today to mark the 14th anniversary of the Tamil genocide which saw the massacre of tens of thousands of Tamils by Sri Lanka's armed forces. 

Protesters held placards detailing the final days of the armed conflict where tens of thousands of Tamils were trapped in the No Fire Zones and subjected to heavy shelling by the Sri Lankan government.

US Legislators officially acknowledge Tamil Genocide

Wiley Nickel, called on the members of the House of Representatives to "observe Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day" and acknowledge the "pain and suffering endured by the Tamil people on the Island" of Sri Lanka. 

The representative for North Carolina speaking in the House on 17 May called on the speaker, as the "first U.S legislator to officially acknowledge the Tamil Genocide in Sri Lanka"  to ensure that the "voices of the survivors are heard to foster healing, justice and reconciliation". 

Canadian Prime Minister marks Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day 

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has released a statement marking Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day and commemorating the lives lost.

In his statement, Prime Minister Trudeau reflected on the “Tens of thousands of Tamils lost their lives, including at the massacre in Mullivaikal, with many more missing, injured, or displaced. Our thoughts are with the victims, survivors, and their loved ones, who continue to live with the pain caused by this senseless violence."

German socialist political group pays tribute to victims of Tamil genocide

The Working Group of Young Socialists in the Social Democratic Party of Germany, (Jungsozialistinnen und Jungsozialisten in der SPD) also known as Jusos, expressed its solidarity with the hundreds of thousands of Tamil victims who were massacred during the final stage of the armed conflict between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan state in May 2009.

In its social media post, Jusos highlighted the fact that over 10,000 Tamil civilians were steered into government-declared “No Fire Zones” in the coastal area of Mullivaikkal, where they were attacked and killed by repeated shelling.

Tamil Genocide remembrance day marked in Switzerland

Memorials were held in Bern, Switzerland on 17 May as the Tamil nation mourns the genocide that took place in Mullivaikkal 14 years ago. 

Speeches in German, French, Italian and Tamil were delivered as attendees were served Mullivaikkal Kanji, to commemorate the massacres which took place during the final stages of the armed conflict. 

Tamil Genocide remembrance day marked in Dhanushkodi

On May 18th, Tamil political parties came together in Dhanushkodi, Tamil Nadu to commemorate the lives lost during the final stages of the war in 2009, the peak of the genocide coming with the Mullivaikkal massacres. The remembrance event drew a diverse crowd, including children, who participated in honouring those who perished.

Fourteen Years on, Remembering Mullivaikkal' - Adayaalam

Marking the 14th Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day, Jaffna-based think-tank Adayaalam Centre for Policy Research (ACPR) highlighted the resilience demonstrated by Tamil victim-survivor communities despite the 'full force of the state against them'. 

Families of the forcibly disappeared commemorate Tamil genocide in Vavuniya

In a poignant display of remembrance and demand for justice, the families of the forcibly disappeared in Vavuniya district observed the final day of the Tamil Genocide Remembrance week.

These families, who have been protesting for accountability for over 2000 days continuously, gathered to commemorate the lives lost during the final days of the armed conflict.