Tamil Affairs

Tamil News

Latest news from and about the homeland

The LGBTQIA+ community in Jaffna held their fifth annual Pride Walk, under the theme  “We Exist For Each Other".  The walk, organised by the Jaffna Transgender Network, began outside the iconic Jaffna Public Library and proceeded along Hospital Road and Pannai Road before ending at Jaffna Fort.  Members of the LGBTQIA+ community, human rights activists, civil society…

Mannar traders suffer losses after SL Army opens up shop

Tamil grocery traders in Mannar have reported losses after the Sri Lankan army began selling groceries last Saturday, reported Uthayan.

According to the paper, traders are having to buy vegetables from Dambulla in the South, before selling them on in Mannar, whilst the Sri Lankan army is selling the same vegetables at a lower cost.

This report is the latest in a serious of business ventures by Sri Lankan Army in the North-East, at a time when Tamil residents are struggling to regain their livelihoods.


Sri Lankan Commander visits Iranian submarine

Commander of the Sri Lankan Navy visited an Iranian submarine that had berthed in Colombo earlier today, after visiting India earlier this month.

Vice Admiral Jayanath Colombage visited the Iranian Navy’s 28th fleet, which included the 'Younus' submarine, stating, 

“We could host a submarine in Colombo port after a long time and it was a rare opportunity for us to visit such a submarine”.

Buddha statue vandalised in Batticaloa

A statue of Buddha, erected recently in Batticaloa, was found smashed on the ground on Wednesday, reported Tamilwin.

The statue had been removed from its glass casing before being smashed, said the police, who have initiated an inquiry into the incident. The pieces have been collected by the police for further investigation.

According to Tamilwin, the statue was erected following the end of the armed conflict, whilst most of the Tamil residents were detained within internment camps.

Severe milk powder shortage due to ‘multinational companies’ – Milco

The chairman of the state-owned Milco Company has stated that he suspects ‘multinational companies’ could be behind strikes, which have contributed to a severe shortage of milk powder in Sri Lanka.

The price of milk powder, is controlled by the government’s Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA), despite requests from milk powder companies to increase the prices, reported ColomboPage. This has led to reportedly led to companies reducing their production in order to minimise losses.

Neduntheevu declared a sanctuary…for horses

An island off the coast of Jaffna has been declared a sanctuary for horses by the Sri Lankan government, reported The Island.

Wildlife Conservation Minister Vijith Wijayamuni Zoysa said yesterday that the government wants to protect and safeguard the animals. Zoysa also said that EPDP chief and Traditional Industries and Small Enterprise Development Minister Douglas Devananda also requested the move.

Sri Lanka rebuffs Britain on UN resolution

The Sri Lankan government has sharply rebuked the British Secretary of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Hugo Swire, whilst rejecting the notion of a resolution being brought before the United Nations Human Rights Council in March 2014.

The comments by External Affairs Ministry Secretary Karunathilake Amunugama, come after Swire spoke in the British Parliament, telling the house that Sri Lanka was regularly discussed with the UK's international partners and the contents of a resolution were being discussed.

Galle Literary Festival founder denied entry after flying lion flag upside down

An Australian hotelier, and founder of the Galle Literary Festival, has been denied entry into Sri Lanka after allegedly flying the Sri Lankan flag upside down.

Geoffrey Dobbs, who owns four luxury hotels in the Galle region, was accused of flying the flag upside down and at half mast, outside each of his hotels in the run up to the Commonwealth Heads Of Government Meeting last month.

Traders strike in solidarity with Tamil Nadu fisher folk

Shops and traders in Nagapattinam and Nagore are closed today, in solidarity with the over 3000 fisher folk protesting since Saturday for the release of over 100 fishermen, arrested and detained by the Sri Lankan Navy earlier this month.

Four more skulls found in Mannar

Four further skulls have been found at a site in Thirukketheeswaram in Mannar, according to the police.

Last week construction workers found two human skeletons.

A spokesperson from the police told AFP,

Family of murdered aid worker vow to fight for justice

The family of British aid worker Khuram Shaikh, who was murdered in a Sri Lankan holiday resort on Christmas Day 2011, have vowed to continue their fight for justice despite the Sri Lankan authorities “painfully slow” manner in handling the case.

Speaking to the Guardian, Khuram’s father Mohammad Zaman Shaikh said,
"The Sri Lankan authorities have handled the case in a painfully slow manner... They are trying to brush it under the carpet in the hope that people will forget about what happened and that we will stop fighting for justice."
"We will never stop fighting for justice."
Khuram’s girlfriend, 24-year-old Victoria Tkacheva, who was raped and left with a fractured skull in the attack that saw Khuram shot dead, stated earlier this year that she would also “go to the end” for justice.

Simon Danczuk, Member of Parliament for the Shaikhs’ constituency, travelled to Sri Lanka in order to meet with government ministers in the hope of bringing the killers to justice. Danczuk, said,
"The loss this family has suffered is unbearable and I've seen for myself the pain in the parents' eyes as they struggle to come to terms with what happened to their son".
"I do not want another Christmas to pass with Khuram's killers still walking free."