• Tamil refugee detained on arrival in India after fleeing Sri Lanka

    An Eelam Tamil refugee has been arrested on arrival in Tamil Nadu after fleeing from Sri Lanka, reports the Deccan Chronicle.
  • Charges filed against six in Raviraj murder

    Charges have been filed against six people for the 2006 murder of Jaffna MP Nadaraja Raviraj.

    Colombo Telegraph reports that of the six against whom the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has filed charges, three are navy personnel and three are former LTTE cadres of the Karuna faction.

  • China is Sri Lanka's top investor

    China is Sri Lanka's biggest investor, particularly in real estate, the Sunday Times reports.

  • Tamil political prisoners will be released soon and according to offence - Justice Minister

    A number of Tamil political prisoners will be released as soon as possible, the Minister of Justice Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe has announced.

  • Tamil Nadu Chief Minister blames previous Indo-Lanka agreements for pathetic plight of fishermen
    The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, reiterating her stance that the Indo-Sri Lankan Agreements of 1974 and 1976 were the underlying causes of troubles faced by Tamil Nadu fisherman that were continuously detained by Sri Lanka’s navy.

    Commenting on Sri Lanka’s Katchatheevu islet, Ms Jayalalitha said that the ceding of the island to Sri Lanka during the Indo-Lanka Agreements was the root cause of the fishermen’s problem.
  • Shortage of permanent doctors in Northern Province

    Over thirty hospitals in the Northern Province are operating without permanent doctors, the Northern Provincial Council's health minister has said.

    Health minister P. Sathiyalingam said that 32 out of 102 hospitals in the Northern Province had no permanent doctors and were functioning with trainee doctors and recalled retired doctors.

  • Sri Lanka Thailand pledge to promote bilateral ties and uphold Buddhist relations

    Sri Lanka’s President Maithripala Sirisena assured Thailand’s Prime Minister that a government of good governance which gives priority to democracy has now been established in Sri Lanka, reports Colombo Page.

  • Sri Lankan government to probe police attacks on Colombo students

    The Sri Lankan government has announced it will carry out an extensive investigation into police attacks on students protesting in Colombo.

    Ranil Wickremesinghe appointed a special committee to probe the attack on students, during a demonstration on Thursday calling for the Higher National Diploma in Accountancy to be given degree status.

  • Remembering Thamilselvan 8 years on
    Photograph TamilNet


    S. P. Thamilselvan, the head of the political wing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was assassinated by the Sri Lankan Air Force (SLAF) on November 2nd, 2007.

    The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights' (OHCHR) report into Sri Lanka's atrocities (OISL) noted that Sri Lanka's military killed the LTTE's political head before it officially withdrew from the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) in 2008. It noted that the attack was preceded by a military budget that "had reportedly risen by 40 percent and the Army had tripled in size from 100,000 to 300,000, with almost an additional 5,000 troops recruited per month between 2005 and 2008". 

    The death of Thamilselvan, who became the LTTE's top peace negotiator following the death of Anton Balasingham, was mourned across the world, with over 25,000 Tamils attending his funeral.

    Five other LTTE officials - Lt. Col. Anpumani (Alex), Major Mikuthan, Major Neathaaji, Lt. Aadchiveal and Lt. Maavaikkumaran - were killed along side Brigadier Thamilselvan, during the SLAF attack. The aerial bombardment targeted the residence of members of the LTTE's political division.
  • Northern Province begins marking 'meaningful' month of remembrance

    The Northern Province today said the month of November will be dedicated to planting trees.

    The project, which will see 500,000 trees planted, was inaugurated by Chief Minister Wigneswaran. TNA MPs Sritharan, Saravanapavan and Siddharthan, the NPC's agricultural minister Aiyngaranesan and education minister Gurukularajah, NPC Councillor Ananthy Sasitharan and several other officials attended the event in Semmani, alongside pupils from local schools.

  • Over 7,000 acres of Tamil land occupied by Sri Lanka's military finds Jaffna Secretariat

    Statistics produced by the Jaffna District Secretariat found that at least 7393 acres of land Tamil in Jaffna was under occupation of Sri Lanka’s military forces.

  • Relatives of Tamil political prisoners confused and distressed by conflicting stances

    The parents and relatives of Tamil political prisoners have written to the leader of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and opposition R. Sampanthan, demanding that the party clarify their stance on Tamil political prisoners before the end of the week.

    The families of hundreds of Tamil political prisoners said that they had been left confused and distressed by the conflicting stances expressed by different party members.

    The TNA has offered different explanations to the issue, with some calling for a general amnesty and others saying an amnesty would benefit those accused of war crimes.

  • LTTE suspects should be released' - Minister

    A Sri Lankan minister said 'LTTE suspects' held on remand should be released, while speaking at the opening of a prison in Jaffna.

    Law and Order and Prison Reforms Minister Tilak Marapana said he hoped that the LTTE detainees could be released before the Deepavali festival on November 10, 2015.

    “The LTTE suspects on remand without charges being filed against them should be released. If they are considered a threat to law and order, they should be ordered to report to the police in the respective areas at regular intervals,

    "The suspects in cases that have been pending for years could be released on bail. President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe have instructed the Attorney General’s Department to take a decision in this regard soon,"

  • Sri Lanka to review ban on 'some' Tamil diaspora organisations
    The Defence Ministry will be submit a report reviewing the ban of 16 Tamil diaspora organisations and 400 individuals which was put in place by the Rajapaksa regime last year.

    The Defence Secretary Karunasena Hettiaarachchi, speaking to Ceylon Today, said,
  • Sri Lanka parliamentarians pledge to enhance bilateral ties on visit to China
    A delegation of Sri Lanka’s parliamentarians committed to strengthening bilateral ties with China during a visit to Beijing last week.

    China’s Special Envoy of Asia affairs Sun Guoxiang held talks with visiting MPs, with both sides agreeing to strengthen communication and cooperation to enhance bilateral ties.
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