• Fonseka reveals portrait of himself on May 18

    May 18

    The former general of the Sri Lankan army who oversaw the military during the final stages of the armed conflict, unveiled a portrait of himself yesterday at the army headquarters in Colombo on Wednesday.

    Marking seven years since the end of the armed conflict, Mr Fonseka, who has since been appointed as a minister under the current government, was awarded a red carpet military welcome at the Colombo headquarters.

    Mr Fonseka, who also became Sri Lanka’s first and only five-star general under the current government, went on to unveil his own a portrait – reported “as a symbolic gesture of eternal memory” by the army’s official website.
  • Wigneswaran congratulates Tamil Nadu chief minister, hopes for action on Eelam struggle
    The Chief Minister of the Northern Province in Sri Lanka CV Wigneswaran congratulated J Jayalalitha on her election victory that saw her become Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister for a second term running.

    Congratulating Tamil Nadu’s chief minister, Mr Wigneswaran said,
  • Sri Lanka state media broadcast of No Fire Zone documentary could aid reconciliation says director
    Responding to Sri Lanka’s foreign minister acknowledging the authenticity of Channel 4 footage used in the No Fire Zone documentaries, the documentary director Callum Macrae, suggested that Sri Lanka state televisions to “broadcast the documentary as soon as possible” to aid the reconciliation process.

    Callum Macrae announced the re-release of the Sinhalese version of the No Fire Zone documentary stating,

    “I very much welcome Mangala Samaraweera’s acknowledgement of the authenticity of the Channel 4 footage - and I hope that it will encourage people to watch the Sinhalese version of No Fire Zone, which once again we are making available free on our website, NoFireZone.org.  But more than that I hope it will now be shown on Sri Lankan television and I call on Sri Lankan TV stations to broadcast it as soon as possible.  The fact is that the truth can only help reconciliation. Only the guilty fear it."
  • EU ambassador discusses reconciliation challenges with Wigneswaran
    The European Union ambassador to Sri Lanka, David Daly on Thursday met with the chief minister of the northern province, C M Wigneswaran to discuss the challenges to reconciliation.

    The meeting came the day after Tamils marked the 7th year anniversary of the slaughter at the end of the armed conflict in May 2009.


  • Japan to loan $3.5 billion to Sri Lanka
    Japan is to loan over $3.5 billion to Sri Lanka, the country's finance minister, Ravi Karunanayake said on Thursday.

    The loan is aimed at reducing Sri Lanka's debt and preventing a balance of payments crisis.

    "We are getting more than $3,500 million from Japan for our development activities," Mr Karunanayake was quoted by Reuters as saying.
  • Enduring resistance

    Seven years after the armed conflict ended in May 2009 and the height of Tamil genocide by the Sri Lankan state, Tamils this year mark May 18th with the weight of a UN report behind them. Detailing the extent and sheer horror of the atrocities committed, including the indiscriminate shelling of civilian areas, targeting of hospitals, sexual violence, torture and the extrajudicial killing of LTTE cadres, the OHCHR Investigation on Sri Lanka report validates the visceral outcry of the Tamil nation which blockaded diasporic capitals, deploring the ensuing massacre and demanding international intervention, as well as validating the call for justice that has emanated from the diaspora and the North-East ever since. Seven years on however, meaningful change in the circumstances that led to the armed conflict, and the tangible prospect of true justice continues to elude the Tamil people.
     

  • May 18 commemorations commence in the Tamil homeland

    Commemorations of the end of the armed conflict on May 18 2009 have begun in the North-East.

    An early remembrance event was held by NPC Councillor T Ravikaran at the break of dawn, on the shores of the Nanthikadal Lagoon in the Mullaithivu District.

  • Unity when it matters

    While Tamils commemorate the massacres of the end of the armed conflict, prominent Sri Lankan politicians from both sides of the Sinhala divide continue to laud the armed forces as “heroes.”

    UNP Minister for Housing and Construction Sajith Premadasa’s posted a tweet saying "Remembering our war heroes" this morning.

  • Remembrance event held at Mullivaikkal

    Updated 05:17 GMT

     

    Tamils gathered at the site of the final battle in Mullivaikkal this morning to commemorate those who died in the end phase of the armed conflict.

  • Hundreds gather at Jaffna University for May 18 remembrance

    Students and staff gathered in their hundreds at the University of Jaffna for the institution's event to mark the 7th anniversary of the end of the armed conflict.

  • Candles lit in Mannar for Mullivaikkal dead


    Tamils in Mannar came together on Wednesday to commemorate the 7th year anniversary of the deaths of tens of thousands of Tamils at the end of the armed conflict.

  • Vaaharai Tamils commemorate May 18 amid military surveillance

    Tamils in Vaaharai, Batticaloa, gathered in remembrance of those who died in the last phase of the armed conflict, as Sri Lankan intelligence officials looked on.

    The event, held in Manikkapuram, was organised by the Tamil National People's Front and saw a Hindu priest conduct a poosai.


  • Special prayers at Keerimalai for Mullivaikkal dead


    A special prayer service was conducted at the Keerimalai temple on Wednesday in memory of the tens of thousands of Tamils killed in 2009 as the armed conflict drew to an end.

  • ‘Everyone must join the fight for justice’ – C V Wigneswaran

    The Chief Minister of the Northern Province renewed calls for justice for the lives lost in the massacres of 2009 and urged the international community to ensure accountability is delivered, in a speech given at Mullivaikkal earlier today.

    Justice Wigneswaran reflected on the number of lives lost in those final months, noting that Bishop Rayappu Joseph’s figure of 146,679 Tamils missing remains unaccounted for.

    “Every week, people who have lost their families, relatives of persons whose family members are missing, people injured in war, people who are crippled by war, people who have lost vision, orphaned young ones, who have lost their dear parents and housewives who head their families are coming to meet me,” said the chief minister.

    “All of them want justice.”
  • Eastern Uni remembers Mullivaikkal Tamil genocide


    Students at the Eastern university defied military surveillance, to hold the 'Mullivaikkal Tamil genocide memorial event' on Wednesday evening local time.

    Lighting candles, the students remembered the massacre that unfolded.

Subscribe to Tamil Affairs

Most-Read Articles

Velupillay makes history as first Tamil at a FIFA World Cup
Photograph: @Socceroos Nishan Velupillay has been selected in Australia's squad…
17 years today - A massacre in Mullivaikkal
To mark 17 years since the Sri Lankan military onslaught that massacred tens…
Tamil rapper arrested for ‘terrorism’ over TikTok video
A Tamil rapper from Kilinochchi has been arrested and remanded under Sri Lanka's…
In Pictures - Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day commemorated in Mullivaikkal
All photographs by Uthayarasa Shalin Thousands of Tamils gathered at Mullivaikkal…
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay marks Mullivaikkal remembrance with pledge to support Eelam Tamils
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay issued a message on Monday evening marking…