Tamil Affairs

Tamil News

Latest news from and about the homeland

Remembering Pon. Sivakumaran 52 years on
Today marks 52 years since the death of Ponnuthurai Sivakumaran, the first Tamil to die in the liberation struggle.  Sivakumaran was a member of the Tamil Manavar Peravai (or Tamil Student Federation, TSF) and a leading militant in the early armed Tamil struggle. With decades of Sri Lankan state repression and deadly anti-Tamil pogroms already having taken place, Tamil militant…

Tamils in Toronto demand justice and accountability for Chemmani mass graves

Jul 9, 2025

Hundreds of Tamil Canadians gathered at Sankofa Square (formerly Dundas Square) in downtown Toronto on 6 July 2025 to demand international accountability and justice for the victims of the Chemmani mass graves, as well as for mass killings committed across the North-East of Sri Lanka.

New group of Sri Lankan workers depart for Israel as ties flourish

Jul 8, 2025

A new group of 29 Sri Lankan workers are set to depart for Israel this week to take up employment in the home-based caregiving sector, as part of a growing labour migration programme supported by the Israeli government.

The official handing over of air tickets to the selected workers took place on 4 July at the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) headquarters.

Sri Lankan Navy accused of surveying Tamil-owned land in Suthanthirapuram without notice

Jul 8, 2025
Tamil residents in Suthanthirapuram, Vadamaradchi East, have raised alarm after Sri Lankan navy personnel reportedly began surveying lands in the J/435 Grama Niladhari Division without prior notice to local authorities or property owners.

Sri Lankan military occupying public cemetery and irrigation lands, warns MP Ravikaran

Jul 8, 2025
Vanni District Member of Parliament T. Ravikaran has called for the immediate release of a public cemetery and 25 acres of land belonging to the Department of Irrigation, which remain under the occupation of the Sri Lankan military in Oddusuddan, Mullaitivu.

Sri Lankan Army officer arrested for series of chain snatchings in Kandy

Jul 8, 2025
An active-duty Sri Lankan Army officer has been arrested by the Kandy Police in connection with a series of chain snatchings in and around Kandy, including a high-profile incident at the Kandy Lake Round.

Sri Lanka announces recruitment of 5,000 new police personnel as militarisation ramps up

Jul 8, 2025
Sri Lanka’s Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala announced this week that the government is set to recruit 5,000 new police personnel, despite ongoing criticism of the state’s expansive and militarised security infrastructure across the island, particularly in the Tamil homeland.

Muslim student held under PTA for Instagram post on Palestine remains in custody 

Jul 8, 2025
Sri Lankan authorities continue to hold a Muslim student under the draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), nine months after his arrest over a social media post expressing solidarity with Palestinians.

‘I understand the devastation that Tamil Canadians carry from the genocide’ – PM Carney

Jul 7, 2025
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney backed Public Security Minister Gary Anandasangaree and affirmed his support for Tamil Canadians, after racist and xenophobic attacks last month.

Tamil families mark 35 years since Sampur Massacre with calls for international justice

Jul 7, 2025
Tamil families gathered at the Sampur Memorial Monument on 7 July 2025 to mark the 35th anniversary of the Sampur Massacre, with survivors and civil society groups once again urging an international justice mechanism for the atrocities committed by Sri Lankan security forces.

The UN’s Sri Lankan delusion: Franche and the futility of wishful thinking

Jul 7, 2025
Thusiyan Nandakumar
In a more than 40-minute interview with Ada Derana, during which the issues of accountability and justice in Sri Lanka were repeatedly raised, how many times did the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka, Marc-André Franche, say the word “Tamil”?
Tamils in Toronto demand justice and accountability for Chemmani mass graves
New group of Sri Lankan workers depart for Israel as ties flourish
Sri Lankan Navy accused of surveying Tamil-owned land in Suthanthirapuram without notice
Sri Lankan military occupying public cemetery and irrigation lands, warns MP Ravikaran
Sri Lankan Army officer arrested for series of chain snatchings in Kandy
Sri Lanka announces recruitment of 5,000 new police personnel as militarisation ramps up
Muslim student held under PTA for Instagram post on Palestine remains in custody 
‘I understand the devastation that Tamil Canadians carry from the genocide’ – PM Carney
Tamil families mark 35 years since Sampur Massacre with calls for international justice
The UN’s Sri Lankan delusion: Franche and the futility of wishful thinking
Tamils in Toronto demand justice and accountability for Chemmani mass graves
New group of Sri Lankan workers depart for Israel as ties flourish
Sri Lankan Navy accused of surveying Tamil-owned land in Suthanthirapuram without notice
Sri Lankan military occupying public cemetery and irrigation lands, warns MP Ravikaran
Sri Lankan Army officer arrested for series of chain snatchings in Kandy
Sri Lanka announces recruitment of 5,000 new police personnel as militarisation ramps up
Muslim student held under PTA for Instagram post on Palestine remains in custody 
‘I understand the devastation that Tamil Canadians carry from the genocide’ – PM Carney
Tamil families mark 35 years since Sampur Massacre with calls for international justice
The UN’s Sri Lankan delusion: Franche and the futility of wishful thinking