Marking the New Year, Tamil Guardian takes a look back on the major events in the Tamil homeland, in Sri Lanka and across the diaspora over the last year.

Independent journalist Murugaiyah Thamil Selvan was attacked on Boxing Day and narrowly escaped an abduction attempt by unknown assailants on the A9 road in Kilinochchi.

A petition campaign in Vavuniya demands the release of political prisoners detained under Sri Lanka's Prevention of Terrorism Act.

On December 26th, 2004, over 35,000 people perished during the catastrophic tsunami that hit the coasts of the North-East and South of the island of Sri Lanka.

The Tamil National People's Front (TNPF) commemorated senior Tamil politician Joseph Pararajasingham who was assassinated by armed Sri Lankan government-aligned paramilitary men in 2005.

 

Eelam Tamils are celebrating Christmas in churches across the homeland today. 

See photographs from various celebrations below. 

Batticaloa 

Midnight mass was held at St Mary's church in Batticaloa. 

Tamil politician Joseph Pararajasingham was shot dead by armed government-aligned paramilitary men in 2005.

Gamage slammed the Ministry of Public Security for withdrawing the military personnel from Rajapaksa’s security detail.

The move is reportedly to reduce the expenditure associated with safeguarding former leaders.

Himalee Arunatilaka was fined hundreds of thousands of dollars by an Australian court.

The man’s post from wished the LTTE leader a happy birthday.  

Pro-government paramilitary leader Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan, also known as Karuna Amman, was seen leaving Sri Lanka's Criminal Investigation Department in Colombo last week after giving a statement over the disappearance of former Eastern University Vice Chancellor Prof. Sivasubramaniam Raveendranath.