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…

US ambassador visits Jaffna to discuss intimidation of Tamil journalists

Sep 3, 2014
Photograph Uthayan

Power plant shutdown costs Rs. 600 million a day

Sep 2, 2014
A Sri Lankan minister has said the ongoing shutdown of the Norochcholai power plant is costing the government Rs. 600 million a day, as controversy continued in the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB).

Science, Technology and Atomic Energy Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka stated that with the trouble-ridden power plant being run by the CEB, the daily losses were mounting. The minister went on to blame the CEB officials, labelling the “thieves” and part of the “power mafia”, according to the Island.

See more on the Ceylon Electricity Board's losses in our earlier post:

‘Debt-ridden’ SL electricity board seeks more loans (12 August 2012)

Ranawaka's comments come as  Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) General Manager Shavindranth Fernando found himself criticised for announcing an upcoming Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the Norochcholai power plant with China, without consultation from the Sri Lankan government.

See more from the Island here.

Sri Lankan government looking to control rubber prices

Sep 2, 2014
Responding to a global drop in rubber prices, the Sri Lankan government is looking to control the price of rubber by introducing a certified price, said Plantation Industries Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe.

A joint proposal by the Ministry of Plantation Industries, the Ministry of Finance and Planning, Ministry of Economic Development and the Treasury would see the government enforce a set prices for rubber, said the minister.

See more from ColomboPage here and the Island here.

The announcement comes as the government raided over 400 rice vendors who sold rice at higher than government set prices.

NYT editorial 'unjust' and 'insensitive' says SL ambassador

Sep 2, 2014
Sri Lanka's ambassador to the United States, Prasad Kariyawasam, criticised an editorial published by the New York Times last month on Sri Lanka's refusal to allow in UN investigators, as "insensitive" and "unjust".

The editorial, 'Sri Lanka's Intransigence' published August 22, argued that the country's intransigence "puts Sri Lanka in the company of North Korea and Syria, two countries that also barred access to United Nations human rights investigators."

In a letter to the editor, published by the NYT on September 2, Kariyawasam said the editorial "makes insensitive assertions about my country."

"To compare Sri Lanka to human rights and humanitarian emergencies elsewhere in the world is unjust," he added, before reiterating Sri Lanka's refusal to engage with the UN inquiry.

Six more students detained by TID at Sabaragamuwa University

Sep 2, 2014

Six first-year undergraduates of the Sabaragamuwa University were detained and interrogated by the Terrorism Investigation Department (TID) on Tuesday, becoming the third set of students arrested at the southern university.

Body found washed up in Mannar

Sep 2, 2014
A dead body has been found washed up on the beach in Mannar, reported Uthayan on Wednesday.

The body, found in a severely decomposed state, was spotted by fishermen who informed the police. It is yet to be identified.

Mannar police are reportedly investigating the death.


Nigerian army delegation in Sri Lanka

Sep 2, 2014

A delegation from the Nigerian Armed Forces Resettlement Centre (NAFRC) arrived in Sri Lanka on Tuesday to explore the country’s welfare system for its military.

The 11-member delegation, headed by Air Vice Marshal M.R Morgan of the Nigerian Air Force met with the Sri Lankan army chief Lt Gen Daya Ratnayake and discussed how the army’s welfare model is employed for the soldiers’ benefit, reported the army website.

Tamils worried about Sinhala settlements – EPRLF leader

Sep 2, 2014

The ‘cantonment system’ introduced by the Sri Lankan Army in the Tamil-speaking Northeast of the island has prompted fears amongst the Tamil population about Sinhala settlements, the leader of the Eelam Peoples’ Revolutionary Liberation Front said on Tuesday, The Hindu reported.

Former soldier self-immolates outside US Embassy in protest of UN actions

Sep 2, 2014
A former Sri Lankan soldier, who attempted to self-immolate, outside the US Embassy in Colombo, in protest against the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, died of his injuries on Wednesday.

The former soldier had said that he was Navi Pillay’s actions against Sri Lanka, reports Colombo Gazette.

Commenting on the death the Police spokesman, Ajith Rohana, said,

Sri Lanka enhances benefits for retired soldiers

Sep 2, 2014
Sri Lanka's Ministry of Defence (MoD), on Wednesday, announced a new scheme that looks to benefit retired soldiers.

The MoD spokesperson, Brigadier Ruwan Wanigasooriya, addressing a weekly media brief, said that the extra benefits had been given to the retired soldiers after “considering the immense contribution and sacrifice they have made during the Humanitarian operation.”
 
Power plant shutdown costs Rs. 600 million a day
Sri Lankan government looking to control rubber prices
NYT editorial 'unjust' and 'insensitive' says SL ambassador
Six more students detained by TID at Sabaragamuwa University
Body found washed up in Mannar
Nigerian army delegation in Sri Lanka
Tamils worried about Sinhala settlements – EPRLF leader
Former soldier self-immolates outside US Embassy in protest of UN actions
Sri Lanka enhances benefits for retired soldiers
Dead body of man found in Batticaloa
Power plant shutdown costs Rs. 600 million a day
Sri Lankan government looking to control rubber prices
NYT editorial 'unjust' and 'insensitive' says SL ambassador
Six more students detained by TID at Sabaragamuwa University
Body found washed up in Mannar
Nigerian army delegation in Sri Lanka
Tamils worried about Sinhala settlements – EPRLF leader
Former soldier self-immolates outside US Embassy in protest of UN actions
Sri Lanka enhances benefits for retired soldiers
Dead body of man found in Batticaloa