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.…

British Tamil businesses prepare to mark Maaveerar Naal

British Tamil businesses have begun preparing to commemorate Maaveerar Naal by flying Tamil Eelam flags at stores across the UK.

See a selection of photos from British Tamil businesses below. 

Jaffna University admin declares campus ‘out of bounds’ ahead of Maaveerar Naal

Authorities at the University of Jaffna have declared the university premises “out of bounds” as Tamil students were preparing to commemorate Maaveerar Naal tomorrow.

A notice served by the university’s competent authority declared the campus closed for Wednesday and Thursday and went on to state, “students are advised to refrain from entering into the university main premises and from taking part in all unauthorised activities”.

13 Tamils arrested during Maaveerar Naal preparations

<p>Sri Lankan police arrested thirteen Tamils, including the Mullaitivu co-ordinator of the Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF), while they were preparing for Maaveerar Naal remembrance tomorrow.</p> <p>The group were clearing and decorating space in Mullivaikkal when Mullaitivu police and intelligence officers arrived and warned them not to carry out any remembrance activities.</p> <p>The police seized the red and yellow flags and other decorations the organisers were using and also arrested all thirteen individuals present, transporting them to Mullaitivu police station.</p>

Stones bearing names of 25,000 Maaveerar erected in Jaffna

Stones inscribed with the names of 25,000 Tamil liberation fighters were erected in Jaffna earlier today, as Tamils in the homeland and around the world prepare to mark Maaveerar Naal.

Jaffna University administration bans Maaveerar Naal commemorations

The University of Jaffna administration has sent round a circular, banning all Maaveerar Naal commemorations, a day before events are set to take place across the Tamil homeland and diaspora.

Maaveerar Naal - or Heroes’ Day - which is marked on November 27th, has been peacefully commemorated by students and staff of the university for several years. 

Under the previous Rajapaksa regime, Tamils in the North-East were forced to commemorate the day in secret, as the Sri Lankan security forces clamped down on any remembrance events.

Despite the return of the Rajapaksa, Tamils int he homeland have continued preparations for tomorrow.

Gotabaya tells Tamil diaspora to ‘forget’ war crimes 

Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa addressed the Tamil diaspora when questioned about war crimes committed by troops under his command, stating that they should “forget about these things”.

704 CID officers prevented from fleeing Sri Lanka

<p>Sri Lankan airport authorities have been sent a list of 704&nbsp; CID officers who the government is preventing from leaving the country.</p> <p>Ruwan Gunasekara, a spokesman for Sri Lanka’s police, told reporters that these CID officials were involved in numerous cases and that their presence was needed for the court proceedings.</p>

Sri Lanka to review UNHRC resolution

Sri Lanka will review the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) Resolution that it co-sponsored in 2015, Colombo Gazette reported

Newly appointed Foreign Minister, Dinesh Gunawardena, said that the new government will review Resolution 30/1 entitled ‘Promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka.’ 

Jaffna Uni students mark LTTE leader's birthday in secret

Students at the University of Jaffna marked the birthday of LTTE leader Veluppillai Prabhakaran in secret at midnight.

Sri Lankan police question Tamil newspaper and demand staff details

Sri Lankan police questioned the management of a Vavuniya-based Tamil newspaper and demanded details of all reporters be handed over, allegedly responding to an anonymous complaint about the publication of LTTE-related photographs in the paper.

The director of the Thinappuyal newspaper Sakthivelpillai Prakash said the police visited the offices on Friday and questioned him for over a hour, asking him about the publication of LTTE-related news and other topics. The non-uniformed men then requested personal details of all Thinappuyal reporters to which director Prakash refused.

“Everything written in the paper to date is accurate and authentic” the director said.