Tamil Affairs

Tamil News

Latest news from and about the homeland

Jaffna LGBTQIA+ community holds fifth annual Pride Walk
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…

David Cameron's explanation is too little too late

Nov 7, 2013
Abinaya Nathan
If Number 10 is about to breathe a sigh of relief, they ought to know that their last ditch and very public efforts to engage with British Tamils have fallen far short of their placating intentions. Considering the Tamil community makes up over 100,000 of the British electorate, David Cameron was absolutely right to think he owed us an explanation. It’s just a shame that the explanation was far too little, too late.

Engagement legitimises repression

Nov 7, 2013
Lead Story
Writing in the Tamil Guardian on Thursday, British Premier David Cameron set out his government’s rationale for rejecting the growing calls, both at home and abroad, for him to boycott the Commonwealth leaders’ summit in Sri Lanka next week. Whilst noting the Sri Lankan government’s “poor record on human rights and cruel treatment of the Tamils” – an understatement given the steadily mounting evidence – and the grave “allegations” of war crimes and sexual violence, Mr Cameron’s argument, in sum, is that to secure the “change” he wants to see, “the right thing to do is to engage” with Colombo.
 
We disagree. In fact, it is precisely Britain’s policy of essentially unconditional engagement that has enabled, and emboldened, President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s regime to thumb its nose at international demands for accountability and justice, and to intensify its repression of the Tamil people.

TNA welcomes CHOGM boycott calls - Reuters

Nov 7, 2013
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) welcomed growing calls for a boycott of the Commonwealth leaders’ summit in Sri Lanka next week.
 
"We have taken a position that Sri Lanka is in breach of fundamental values of the Commonwealth," TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran told Reuters.
 
"We appreciate the call by various people that it must be boycotted."

No British business representation at CHOGM

Nov 7, 2013

Britain’s Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills Michael Fallon has told the House of Commons that there will be no British business representative at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lankan researchers forced to leave Tamil Nadu

Nov 7, 2013

Three researchers from the Tea Board of Sri Lanka were forced to leave Tamil Nadu, after plans for protests by Tamil groups, according to the police.

The researchers were attending an international training programme in Coonoor, Tamil Nadu, on tea manufacturing and have been in the town for two months.

Bishop of Mannar calls for CHOGM boycott

Nov 7, 2013

The Bishop of Mannar, Dr Rayappu Joseph, has called on the international community to boycott the forthcoming Commonwealth summit in Sri Lanka, saying that this would be the best way to send a message to the government.

It's not all cocktails in coconut shells in Sri Lanka'

Nov 7, 2013
Writing in the LabourList, Britain's largest weblog that supports the opposition party, Amy Lamé stated that British Prime Minister David Cameron and Foreign Secretary William Hague should cancel their trip to Colombo, for the upcoming CHOGM.

Extracts from the piece are reproduced below. See the full piece here.
"It’s not all cocktails in coconut shells in Sri Lanka. President Mahindra Rajapaksa is personally accused of war crimes. In his effort to finally crush the Tamil Tigers, the 26 year civil war ended with 40,000 dead civilians. 12,000 disappearances, more than any other country bar Iraq. This includes opponents of the government, journalists and activists. In its role as Commonwealth Chair Sri Lanka would be responsible for addressing the human rights of other member states. I could see the irony if it wasn’t so chilling and tragically sad."

"Nick Clegg has promised that during the Commonwealth summit the UK Government will be highlighting the abuses that have taken place, and continue to happen, in Sri Lanka. How? Polite conversation over canapés is not only not good enough, it’s downright shameful.

Sri Lanka denies barring visas for IBAHRI officials

Nov 7, 2013

The Sri Lankan External Affairs Ministry rejected the charges made by the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute that it had denied its officials visas to visit the island as “an attempt to sully the image of Sri Lanka”.

The Ministry said the visa applications were made for a seminar organised by IBAHRI and the Bar Association of Sri Lanka, and it was due to the failure of the organisers to follow due process of hosting such an event that it was unable to facilitate the visas.

Singh 'unlikely' to attend CHOGM reports Indian media

Nov 7, 2013
Published: 16:45 GMT

Indian media has reportted that Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is 'unlikely' to visit Sri Lanka for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, due to take place next week.

Rediff quoted 'high level Congress sources' who have insisted that Singh boycott the event. A high level Congress meeting headed by party leader Sonia Gandhi was reportedly held for over an hour, on whether to attend the summit in Colombo.

Sri Lanka: Feels like paradise?

Nov 7, 2013
As part of a campaign calling on Commonwealth members not to allow Sri Lanka to become chair of the organisation, Amnesty International New Zealand produced the video below.

They also had written this letter for delegates attending next week's CHOGM summit.

"Dear Commonwealth delegates,

Welcome to Sri Lanka, the Pearl of the Indian Ocean.

Sri Lanka is a country famous for tea, gemstones and spices, a land where journalists can be disappeared for speaking out against the Government and where human rights abuses are commonplace.

Visit some of the most beautiful beaches in the world or take a drive to the sites of some of the worst atrocities committed during the 26 year civil war.

See some of the island’s amazing wildlife or visit the hospital where Sri Lankan women gave birth as bombs fell around them.

Take a trip to the area east of the Nanthi Lagoon where thousands of innocent civilians were killed believing they were safe in Government declared No Fire Zones.
Engagement legitimises repression
TNA welcomes CHOGM boycott calls - Reuters
No British business representation at CHOGM
Sri Lankan researchers forced to leave Tamil Nadu
Bishop of Mannar calls for CHOGM boycott
It's not all cocktails in coconut shells in Sri Lanka'
Sri Lanka denies barring visas for IBAHRI officials
Singh 'unlikely' to attend CHOGM reports Indian media
Sri Lanka: Feels like paradise?
JPC calls for assistance to victims of coercive birth control
Engagement legitimises repression
TNA welcomes CHOGM boycott calls - Reuters
No British business representation at CHOGM
Sri Lankan researchers forced to leave Tamil Nadu
Bishop of Mannar calls for CHOGM boycott
It's not all cocktails in coconut shells in Sri Lanka'
Sri Lanka denies barring visas for IBAHRI officials
Singh 'unlikely' to attend CHOGM reports Indian media
Sri Lanka: Feels like paradise?
JPC calls for assistance to victims of coercive birth control