Tamil Affairs

Tamil News

Latest news from and about the homeland

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  A memorial sports tournament commemorating Colonel Shankar, the Special Commander of the Tamil Eelam Air Force (Sky Tigers) who was killed in an attack carried out by Sri Lankan deep penetration forces in Ottusuddan, Mullaitivu, on 26 September 2001, was held in Switzerland on 7 June 2026. Organised by the Sports Division of the Swiss Tamil Coordinating Committee, the event took…

Repeal the PTA: Island-wide signature campaign begins in Jaffna

Signatures calling for the repeal of the draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) were collected in Jaffna this morning after a campaign was launched yesterday. 

The campaign initiated by the Ilankai Thamilarasu Katchi Youth Wing, Justice for All and the Alliance of Trade Union & MassYouth Front organisations, demands the Sri Lankan government to repeal the notorious legislation which has been used disproportionately to detain and torture Tamils and Muslims.

Hunger strike continues as Tamil political prisoners demand release

The hunger strike of 12 Tamil political prisoners, who were detained between 2019 and 2020, has entered its 5th day as those imprisoned continued to demand for their release.

Economic prosperity is inextricably linked to human rights and accountable governance' - USAID announces $40 million in aid to Sri Lanka

US Congress members urge State Department to use its leverage at the UN to refer Sri Lanka to the ICC

A group of US Congress members have urged the State Department to use its leverage at the United Nations Security Council to refer Sri Lanka to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Sri Lankan government appoints alleged rights abusers - Human Rights Watch

In a recent article South Asia Director for Human Rights Watch (HRW), Meenakshi Ganguly denounced President Ranil Wickremesinghe and his government for the appoinment of three alleged human rights abusers.

On 8 September, Wickremesinghe appointed 37 new ministers. Three of the 37 appointees are implicated in serious human rights violations.

Ganguly emphasizes that this appoinment is another indication that Wickremesinghe and his new administration “is not committed to protecting human rights, ending impunity, or upholding the rule of law.”

Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan

‘Stop hounding Tamil journalists’ – Reporters Without Borders

Responding to the Sri Lankan government’s brutal crackdown on press freedom, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has condemned the “constant attempts to intimidate Tamil media personal” and called “for an end to the use of illegal and abusive methods that dangerously undermine press freedom”.

“The constant harassment of Tamil journalists is unacceptable and constitutes a major encroachment on press freedom,” RSF’s Asia-Pacific desk said.  They added:

Amnesty International releases new briefing condemning Sri Lanka’s crackdown and violence on protestors

Sri Lankan authorities have fiercely clamped down on peaceful protests and antagonized protestors during the island’s worst economic crisis and hardship details Amnesty International in a new digest published today. 

The briefing, Penalized for Protesting: Sri Lanka’s crackdown on protestors, outlines Sri Lankan security state forces' failure to protect protestors, their use of excessive force, their use of the military to police protests, carrying out reprisals against protesters and targeting those who exercise their rights democratically. 

185 Tamils massacred by Sri Lankan army remembered in Batticaloa

A commemoration event was held in Batticaloa today to mark the 32nd anniversary of the Saththurukondan massacre where 185 Tamils were slaughtered by the Sri Lankan army with the assistance of Muslim Home Guards.  

On September 9, 1990, the men, women and children from Saththurukondan and surrounding villages, on the outskirts of Batticaloa, were taken to an army camp by Sri Lankan soldiers, where they were massacred.

Remembering the Saththurukondan massacre 32 years on

Image from last year's memorial in Batticaloa

Today marks the 32nd anniversary of the Saththurukondan massacre where 184 Tamils were killed by the Sri Lankan army.  

Mannar head of the association of relatives of enforced disappeared condemns foreign minister for dismissing international accountability mechanism

Manuel Uthayachandra, the Mannar head of the Association of Relatives of Enforced Disappeared (ARED) condemned the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Ali Sabry for dismissing international involvement in investigating human rights abuses against Tamils in the North-East. 

She says the Ministers that go from Sri Lanka claim an international investigation is not needed as a domestic investigation is sufficient. "We have no trust in the Sri Lankan government. For us, we need an international investigation, for those affected and disappeared relatives, but for these last 13 years, we have not received that".