Tamil Affairs

Tamil News

Latest news from and about the homeland

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UNP rallies to defend Buddhist institutions amid clergy misconduct controversy
Sri Lanka's United National Party (UNP) has accused the National People's Power (NPP) government of attempting to undermine Buddhism and interfere in the affairs of the Buddhist clergy, as controversy continues over proposed reforms aimed at addressing misconduct within the Buddhist Sangha. The dispute comes amid heightened public scrutiny of Buddhist institutions following allegations of…

British Tamil poet’s Armistice Day sonnet selected by the Royal Family

Nov 11, 2025
A British Tamil poet’s work was chosen by the Royal Family for this year’s Armistice Day commemorations, with his specially commissioned sonnet read at the national service attended by the Princess of Wales.

Mannar marks 100 days of resistance, as protesters seek written guarantees

Nov 11, 2025
A mass torchlit demonstration took place in Mannar this week as residents marked the 100th consecutive day of their protest against the construction of new wind power towers on Mannar Island.

Kalmunai activists accuse Sri Lankan government of enabling ‘racially motivated’ land grab

Nov 11, 2025
Social activists in Kalmunai demanded an immediate halt to allegedly unlawful and racially motivated construction in Tamil-majority areas, citing flood risks and ethnic bias

British Tamils picket Sri Lankan High Commission urging global action on Tamil genocide

Nov 11, 2025
Tamil Eelam activists protested outside the Sri Lankan embassy in London, condemning human rights violations and calling for a referendum on Tamil Eelam

Sri Lanka arrests another 14 Indian fishermen

Nov 11, 2025
The Sri Lankan navy detained fourteen Indian fishermen and seized their trawler on Saturday night, after they claimed it was poaching in the waters off Analaitivu, an islet west of Jaffna.

Premadasa backs 13A and lavishes praise on India's 'special relationship'

Nov 10, 2025
Sri Lanka’s Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa said his party was “crystal clear” on fully implementing the 13th Amendment, as he spoke to media outlets calling for deeper strategic, economic, and political ties with India, during a high-profile visit to New Delhi this week.

Vatican foreign minister hospitalised in Colombo, cancels key meetings

Nov 10, 2025

Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Vatican’s Secretary for Relations with States, was hospitalised in Colombo after falling ill during an official visit to Sri Lanka marking 50 years of diplomatic relations between the Holy See and the Sri Lankan state, forcing the cancellation of several engagements.

More mass graves at Chemmani and Sri Lanka’s old failures of justice

Nov 10, 2025
Ingrid Massagé
Writing in Himal Southasian, an observer of the 1999 Chemmani exhumations reflects on newly uncovered mass graves and Sri Lanka’s continued failure to deliver justice for Tamil victims of war-time crimes

Sri Lankan court fines and sentences 30 Indian fishermen 

Nov 10, 2025
Thirty Indian fishermen arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy last month for allegedly crossing into Sri Lankan waters near Thalaimannar have been produced before the Mannar Magistrate’s Court and handed suspended prison sentences and heavy fines.

Sri Lanka’s US$18m helicopter overhaul sparks controversy over missing approvals

Nov 10, 2025

The Sri Lankan cabinet has approved a multi-million-dollar contract to overhaul four military MI-17 helicopters, despite growing scrutiny over irregularities in the tender process and questions surrounding regulatory compliance.

The US$18 million contract was awarded to M/s Winsley Defence Group d.o.o. of Bosnia and Herzegovina, represented in Sri Lanka by M/s Securatec Lanka (Pvt) Ltd. Each helicopter overhaul is expected to cost around US$4.5 million, including transport and insurance.

British Tamil poet’s Armistice Day sonnet selected by the Royal Family
Mannar marks 100 days of resistance, as protesters seek written guarantees
Kalmunai activists accuse Sri Lankan government of enabling ‘racially motivated’ land grab
British Tamils picket Sri Lankan High Commission urging global action on Tamil genocide
Sri Lanka arrests another 14 Indian fishermen
Premadasa backs 13A and lavishes praise on India's 'special relationship'
Vatican foreign minister hospitalised in Colombo, cancels key meetings
More mass graves at Chemmani and Sri Lanka’s old failures of justice
Sri Lankan court fines and sentences 30 Indian fishermen 
Sri Lanka’s US$18m helicopter overhaul sparks controversy over missing approvals
British Tamil poet’s Armistice Day sonnet selected by the Royal Family
Mannar marks 100 days of resistance, as protesters seek written guarantees
Kalmunai activists accuse Sri Lankan government of enabling ‘racially motivated’ land grab
British Tamils picket Sri Lankan High Commission urging global action on Tamil genocide
Sri Lanka arrests another 14 Indian fishermen
Premadasa backs 13A and lavishes praise on India's 'special relationship'
Vatican foreign minister hospitalised in Colombo, cancels key meetings
More mass graves at Chemmani and Sri Lanka’s old failures of justice
Sri Lankan court fines and sentences 30 Indian fishermen 
Sri Lanka’s US$18m helicopter overhaul sparks controversy over missing approvals