Tamil Affairs

Tamil News

Latest news from and about the homeland

Pon. Sivakumaran, the first Tamil to die in the liberation struggle, was remembered today in Urumpirai, Jaffna, on the 52nd anniversary of his death.  Sivakumaran was a member of the Tamil Manavar Peravai (or Tamil Student Federation, TSF) and a leading militant in the early armed Tamil struggle. On 5th June 1974, Sivakumaran was surrounded by Sri Lankan security forces. He had…

Trump commutes sentence of major donor who illegally lobbied on behalf of Sri Lanka

President Trump commuted the sentence of Imaad Zuberi, a major political donor who had been sentenced to 12 years in prison for the obstruction of a federal investigation into a Trump inaugural committee donation, falsifying records and a failure to disclose and pay tax on US$5.65 million received from the Sri Lankan government to lobby in Washington to improve its image.

Vizhinjam Port opens, posing direct challenge to Colombo’s shipping role

India has launched the Vizhinjam International Seaport in Kerala, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurating the facility. Located at the country’s southern tip, Vizhinjam is set to enter the global shipping network and compete with existing transshipment hubs, including Colombo, Jebel Ali, and Singapore.

More gifts for Sri Lanka - Australia donates high-performance vessel

Australia

The Australian government has handed over a high-performance Stabicraft vessel to the Sri Lanka Coast Guard, marking the commencement of Disi Rela 2, the second phase of a joint maritime security initiative purportedly aimed at "combating illegal maritime activity".

Human skeletal remains found near Sri Lankan military camp in Jaffna

Human skeletal remains, including skulls, have been discovered near the Karkovalam military camp in Jaffna, prompting a police and forensic investigation

Sri Lankan police illegally occupying Tamil land in Jaffna, Divisional Secretary confirms

The Kopay Divisional Secretary has confirmed that the Sri Lankan police are illegally occupying private Tamil-owned lands in Jaffna district, refusing to vacate the area despite longstanding demands from landowners.

Sri Lankan police accused of misleading court over arrests at Buddhist temple protest

Tamil lawyers have accused the Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of the occupying Sri Lankan Police Station in Palaly of misleading the Mallakam Magistrate’s Court regarding the arrests of individuals protesting against the illegal construction of the Tissa Vihara on Tamil-owned land in Thaiyiddy.

Verugal massacre remembered 39 years on in Trincomalee

The 39th anniversary of the Verugal massacre was marked this week in a solemn commemoration in the Verugal-Poonagar area of Trincomalee. The event was organised by relatives of the victims, civil activists, and local community members to honour the memory of the 21 civilians brutally killed on 12 June 1986 while transporting dry food to displaced Tamils.

Tamil activists survey newly erected Buddha statue near historic Murugan Temple

Tamil civil society activists and members of the Batticaloa District Coordination Committee travelled to Amparai this week, where they documented the construction of a new Buddha statue near the historic Ukanthamalai Murugan Temple.

‘No justice for genocide’ - German Tamils confront Sri Lankan president in Berlin

A vocal Tamil protest greeted Sri Lankan president Anura Kumara Dissanayake in Berlin on Thursday, as he met with senior German officials, amidst calls for accountability over mass atrocities committed against Tamils.

'A Prabhakaran will again be born' – Former Indian general warns of unresolved conflict

Retired Indian Army Lieutenant General Ata Hasnain has warned that Sri Lanka’s ethnic conflict remains unresolved, cautioning that “a Prabhakaran will again be born” within the next two to three decades if Sinhala majoritarianism continues to dominate the island.