Tamil Affairs

Tamil News

Latest news from and about the homeland

Tamil residents intervene to block Sri Lankan military land grab in Maruthankerni
Tamil residents, landowners and activists in Maruthankerni have halted a land survey linked to an attempted acquisition reportedly for Sri Lankan military purposes in Vadamaradchi East. The move, which took place in the Maruthankerni area of the Jaffna district, drew strong opposition from the landowner and local residents, who warned that handing land to the Sri Lankan military could lead to…

Sri Lanka to hold 'War Heroes Day' in Galle

Feb 11, 2015
Sri Lanka's new government on Thursday approved President Sirisena's motion to hold this year's 'War Heroes commemoration' in Galle.

Sri Lanka to seek $4 billion IMF assistance

Feb 11, 2015
Sri Lanka will look to start talks on a $4 billion dollar loan by sending a high level team to Washington, said the Finance Minister, Ravi Karunanayake, on Thursday.

Speaking to reporters in Colombo, Mr Karunayake, said,

“There is a lot of international goodwill and we can get finance from the IMF and World Bank at 0,5 percent.”

TCSF urges UN to avoid delaying report into Sri Lanka's atrocities, take steps towards accountability

Feb 11, 2015
The Tamil Civil Society Forum (TCSF), highlighting the Tamil peoples' lack of faith in Sri Lanka's domestic processes,  urged the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, to release the findings of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Investigation into Sri Lankan atrocities (OISL) without further delay, and initiate steps for international prosecution should people be found responsible for serious crimes. 

In a letter to the UN rights chief, the TCSF spokespersons, Kumaravadivel Guruparan and Elil Rajendran, referring to a Northern Provincial Council resolution on the genocide of Tamil people, said,

“We wish to respectfully urge you not to take any promise for domestic investigations seriously, particularly in the absence of any concrete proposals that demonstrate such intentions. We also would kindly refer you to the resolution passed by the Northern Provincial Council on the 10th February 2015 also expressing disbelief in the credibility of domestic mechanisms delivering on accountability, truth and justice.”

Sri Lanka cabinet spokesperson rejects NPC resolution as 'extremist'

Feb 10, 2015
Sri Lanka's cabinet spokesperson, and minister of health, Rajitha Senaratne, rejected the Northern Provincial Council's resolution on the genocide of Tamils by the Sri Lankan state, which was passed on Tuesday, as an "extremist position'.

"They cannot call it genocide,” Mr Senaratne told The Hindu, adding that “choosing confrontational ways will hamper forward movement on the issue.”

Poster in Jaffna uni condemns TNA attendance at Sri Lanka Independence Day event

Feb 10, 2015


An anonymous poster found inside the student hall at the University of Jaffna condemns the attendance of the TNA leader, R Sampanthan, and the TNA MP M A Sumanthiran, at the Sri Lankan government's Independence Day event on February 4.

Stating that the event, which includes a large scale military parade, symbolises Sinhala chauvinism that has oppressed the Tamil people since the island gained independence from British colonial rule, the poster said attendance by senior TNA figures has cause "shock and grief" to the Tamil people.

"Tamil parties have boycotted any [Sri Lankan] national event for the past 43 years in order to demonstrate that Tamils never accepted Sri Lanka's constitution. This has been observed since 1972 to 2014. However, the Tamil’s senior representative “Sampanthan” has pawned all of that at once. Tamils’ senior representative “Sampanthan” and Sumanthiran’s attendance to an event which the entire Tamil population boycotted has caused shock and grief to Tamils," the poster read.

TNPF welcomes NPC resolution on genocide as a 'victory for all of us'

Feb 10, 2015

TNPF President Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam (right) and General Secretary Selvarajah Kajendran (left)

The Tamil National People's Front (TNPF) welcomed the resolution passed by the Northern Provincial Council calling for an UN inquiry into the genocide of the Tamil people by the Sri Lankan state, as a "victory for all of us".

"We fully support yesterday's resolution, and highly praise the Northern Provincial Council and its chief minister, C V Wigneswaran," the TNPF president, Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam told a media briefing at the Jaffna Press Club on Wednesday.

Acknowledging the party's long-standing objection to the provincial council system as an inadequate starting point to resolving the ethnic conflict on the island, Mr Ponnambalam said he nonetheless wholly praised the passage of the resolution within such an oppressive system, and pledged to work under the leadership of Mr Wigneswaran to work towards the issues raised in the resolution.

"[The resolution] is a big blow to a system that seeks to repress our [Tamil] nation's politics into a unitary state," he said.

We welcome NPC resolution – Batticaloa MP Ariyanethiran

Feb 10, 2015

The Tamil National Alliance MP for Batticaloa, P Ariyanethiran, welcomed the resolution passed by the Northern Provincial Council on Tuesday, which called on the UN to investigate charges of genocide and prosecute those responsible at the International Criminal Court.

“Our position is the same as the NPC. We welcome the resolution and wish to add to the call for a UN probe into genocide and prosecutions of those responsible,” the MP, who is based in the Eastern Province, told the Tamil Guardian over the phone.

Mr Ariyenethiran echoed the NPC’s demand for an international investigation, regardless of whether the government conducts its own inquiry, saying that a domestic inquiry is designed to “cover up” the mass atrocities committed by the government.

Fonseka wants reinstatement as a Member of Parliament

Feb 10, 2015
The former head of Sri Lanka's army Sarath Fonseka called to be reinstated as a Member of Parliament, stating he was prepared to go to court to gain his seat back.

“Our party members will be pleased if we are given back this seat because we too played a role in the victory of this Government,” said Mr Fonseka, highlighting Sri Lankan President Maithripalal Sirisena's election victory earlier this year.

Kilinochchi protest over land rights issue

Feb 10, 2015

Tamils living in villages in Kilinochchi demanded the Sri Lankan government issues them with certificates for their land, during a protest in the district capital today,

Residents accused the government of deliberately withholding the certificates, in some cases for 25 years, which they require in order to be eligible for funds from the housing scheme, to connect to the electrical grid and other development. The land concerned is in the villages of Nathakkudiyiruppu, Ulavanoor and Punnaineeraavi, all in the Kilinochchi district’s Kandaavalai regional secretariat division.

BTF urges UK to act on NPC resolution

Feb 10, 2015
The British Tamil Forum (BTF), in a statement released on Tuesday, welcoming the Northern Provincial Council resolution on the genocide of Tamils, called on the British government to take immediate steps to refer the Sri Lankan case of genocide to the International Criminal Court.

"BTF calls upon the UK government to take immediate diplomatic initiatives to ensure that the Sri Lankan government’s efforts to delay and derail the international investigation are defeated. Furthermore, as called for by the NPC resolution, BTF calls upon the UK government to take immediate diplomatic measures to refer the Sri Lankan case to the International Criminal Court so that the perpetrators of genocide and crimes against humanity are brought to justice," the statement said.
Sri Lanka to seek $4 billion IMF assistance
TCSF urges UN to avoid delaying report into Sri Lanka's atrocities, take steps towards accountability
Sri Lanka cabinet spokesperson rejects NPC resolution as 'extremist'
Poster in Jaffna uni condemns TNA attendance at Sri Lanka Independence Day event
TNPF welcomes NPC resolution on genocide as a 'victory for all of us'
We welcome NPC resolution – Batticaloa MP Ariyanethiran
Fonseka wants reinstatement as a Member of Parliament
Kilinochchi protest over land rights issue
BTF urges UK to act on NPC resolution
Local health workers in Jaffna protest unfair recruitment in hospitals
Sri Lanka to seek $4 billion IMF assistance
TCSF urges UN to avoid delaying report into Sri Lanka's atrocities, take steps towards accountability
Sri Lanka cabinet spokesperson rejects NPC resolution as 'extremist'
Poster in Jaffna uni condemns TNA attendance at Sri Lanka Independence Day event
TNPF welcomes NPC resolution on genocide as a 'victory for all of us'
We welcome NPC resolution – Batticaloa MP Ariyanethiran
Fonseka wants reinstatement as a Member of Parliament
Kilinochchi protest over land rights issue
BTF urges UK to act on NPC resolution
Local health workers in Jaffna protest unfair recruitment in hospitals