• Tamil civil society groups welcome UN official's report

    Apr 12
    The Tamil Civil Society Forum (TCSF), a network of civil society groups in the North-East, welcomed the statement by the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence, Pablo de Greiff, released on Saturday, following his visit to the island.

    "We are pleased that Mr de Grieff has addressed many issues that was raised by TCSF in his meeting with him," the group said on its social media page on Monday.

  • IFJ condemns intimidation of Tamil journalists by Sri Lankan police
    The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and Free Media movement (FMM) condemned the arrest of an Uthayan journalist and intimidation of 3 further Tamil journalists in Jaffna.

    In a statement released on Monday the IFJ, noting that Sri Lanka's commitments to media freedom were “clearly slow in filtrating to the police in the country’s north,” said,

    “This is clearly an attempt to police and intimidate journalists in Jaffna and sows the dismissal status of press freedom in Sri Lanka even after the promise by the new government to improve the safety situation.”
  • Sri Lanka's sports minister tells Olympic committee no political interference
    Responding to a letter by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) warning Sri Lanka that it risked its international status over its decision to hold elections under a contentious sports law introduced by the new government, Sri Lanka's sports minister, Navin Dissanayake, denied that the ministry was exerting any pressure on sporting bodies.
  • Sri Lankan army camps built on top of destroyed Tamil homes
    The Sri Lankan military has constructed army camps on top of the destroyed houses of displaced Tamils in Jaffna, reports the Uthayan.

    The discovery was made after the military granted permission for a small group of Tamils to view their land in Palai Veemankamam, which had been seized by the military.

    “They built army camps on lands where our homes were,” said one of the Tamils who was granted access to their land. One home, belonging to 74 year old  Mr Kanthasamypillai, has been completely destroyed, with an army camp now stood in its place.
  • Changing Sri Lanka's electoral boundaries will lead to less Tamil representation in parliament warns TNA
    The Tamil National Alliance and the Sri Lankan Muslim Congress (SLMC) called on  the government to avoid implementing the delimitation of electoral boundaries in the Northern Province for the next 10 years,  until displaced people are resettled in their original lands, including those that fled the country due to conflict.
  • Sri Lankan soldiers deliver traffic awareness programme to Tamil children

    (Security Force Headquarters East)

    The Sri Lankan military organised an awareness programme on traffic law to students of the Methodist Tamil School in Pothuvil earlier this week.

    The lecture was delivered by a police officer from Pothuvil police station, and army officials and teachers of the school were also present.

    The military's ongoing involvement in Tamil affairs almost 6 years after the end of the armed conflict has been widely condemned by Tamil politicians and activists, with numerous calls for the new president, Maithripala Sirisena to demilitarise the North-East.

  • Tamil struggle stands on its own arguments says former anti-apartheid activist
     The Tamil struggle stands on its own and own arguments and does not need justification, said that a former anti-apartheid activist who works in on promoting justice, reconciliation and democracy around the world.
  • Sri Lankan state bank lost millions in stock exchange investments says finance minister

    Sri Lanka’s state owned National Savings Bank (NSB) lost millions of rupees through investments in the Colombo Stock Exchange, said the government’s finance minister Ravi Karunanayake.

  • Sri Lanka’s Special Task Force provides weapons training to politician and businessmen

    Sri Lanka’s Special Task Force (STF) provided weapons training to a politician and 10 other businessmen, reports the Sunday Leader.

    According to the paper, defence sources stated the training was provided after applications were submitted to obtain firearms.

  • No discussion on Prevention of Terrorism Act says Sri Lankan government minister

    Sri Lanka’s Minister of Justice Wijeyadasa Rajapaksa said the government will not be reviewing the country’s Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) until after 19th Amendment has been approved by parliament.

    The Sunday Leader reported the minister as saying the government’s “full attention is now being given to passing the 19th Amendment” and matter such as the PTA will be taken up afterwards.

  • Tamil Sinhala new year represents renewed opportunity for Sri Lanka says US
    The United States wished warmest greetings to those marking Tamil and Sinhala new year on April 14 and expressed hope for change.

    "This New Year is marked by the extraordinary positive change that has occurred in Sri Lanka over the past several months and represents a renewed opportunity for the people of Sri Lanka to join together in the spirit of reconciliation, tolerance, and peace," the US Secretary of State, John Kerry said in a statement on Friday.

  • 3 Indians arrested for alleged illegal trading
    Three Indian nationals were arrested on Saturday for accused of violating their visas and engaging in trade illegally, reported the Daily Mirror.

    The men,     aged 24, 38 and 52, were arrested by the police in Kandy following a tip off by a member of the public, the paper said.

  • Sinhala Ravaya petitions against anthem being sung in Tamil

    Sinhala Ravaya announced that it will be filing a petition in Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court against an announcement to allow the Sri Lankan national anthem to be sung in Tamil.

    Sinhala Ravaya chairman, a Buddhist monk called Akmeemana Dayarathna, said Sri Lanka’s National Executive Council (NEC) cannot make such a decision as it is illegal under the constitution, and his organisation will file a petition in the Supreme Court next week.

  • Tamil Nadu fishermen protest against continuing arrests by Sri Lanka

    Photograph: The Hindu

    Fishermen in Rameswaram staged a demonstration in protest of the continuing arrests of Tamil Nadu fishermen and the confiscation of their boats, The Hindu reported.

    Members of all mechanised boats fishermen associations, raised slogans against the Sri Lankan navy for intimidating the Indian fishermen when they ventured into sea.

    Fishermen leader P. Sesu Raja urged Delhi to press Sri Lanka to secure the release of boats and fishermen arrested after the third round of talks with their Lankan counterparts in Chennai on March 24.

  • John Kerry to visit Sri Lanka in May - reports

    US Secretary of State John Kerry will visit Sri Lanka in the first week of May, according to news reports.

    The State Department has not confirmed Secretary Kerry's visit yet, but the Ceylon Today, quoting "reliable government sources", says Sri Lanka's parliament will be dissolved for the elections only after Mr Kerry's visit, who was invited by Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera during his trip to Washington in February.

    If confirmed, John Kerry would be the highest-ranking US official to visit Sri Lanka in years.

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