Tamil Affairs

Tamil News

Latest news from and about the homeland

A newly published study has identified the earliest scientifically confirmed evidence of prehistoric human settlement on Velanai Island in the Jaffna Peninsula, dating back around 3,460 years and overturning an erroneous long-held Sri Lankan assumption that the region was largely uninhabited until much later. The study, published in the Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology and led by…

Royal Borough of Kingston celebrates Tamil heritage month and twinning with Jaffna

The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames has unveiled a plaque commemorating the twinning with Jaffna in celebrations held to mark Tamil heritage month in London. 

Tamils will not sell their birthright – C V Wigneswaran

 In an address to parliament, C.V. Wigneswaran, stressed that Sri Lanka current economic woes are driven by the government’s failure to meet the demands of the Tamil nation.

Chastising the attempt by Sri Lanka’s President to sweep over the underlying issues for Tamils, Wigneswaran states:

‘Unacceptable’ - India snubs Tamil heritage in Republic Day Parade

Responding to the Indian government’s decision to exclude Tamil Nadu’s submission for its 75th annual Republic Day parade, Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister, M.K. Stalin maintained that this was “unacceptable”.

“Exclusion of the tableau of Tamil Nadu will deeply hurt the sentiments and patriotic feelings of the people of Tamil Nadu. That the committee chooses to ignore and reject all of these seven designs shown to it as per the modifications suggested by its members is unacceptable” Stalin wrote in an open letter that urged India’s Prime Minister to intervene.

Candles – The latest shortage to hit Sri Lanka

As an economic crisis sends food and gas prices soaring in Sri Lanka, candles have become the latest commodity to be hit as shortages have begun to be reported in the southern capital of Colombo.

"Candles not available due to gas shortage" read a sign at St. Anthony's church in Colombo, the latest product to reportedly come in to short supply as the costs of basic goods continues to climb and shortages continue to grow.

According to Nikkei Asia, other goods in short supply include powdered milk.

UK may continue training Sri Lankan police even after Scotland ends contract

The British government may continue to train Sri Lankan police, even after Police Scotland announced it would not extend its contract after March 2022 due to ongoing human rights concerns on the island.

Sri Lanka forces Islamic school textbooks to be withdrawn for ‘extremist ideology’

Sri Lanka’s controversial ‘One Country, One Law’ Task Force and a think-tank under the defence ministry have forced the withdrawal of an Islamic text book, reportedly over concerns that “they might contain ideas of extremist ideology”.

According to a report in the Sunday Times the textbooks for Grade 6 schoolchildren “contained some objectionable words”.

Inclusivity of all faiths defines the strength of a country's human rights' - Lord Ahmad visits Buddhist monastery

As part of a three-day tour of Sri Lanka, British Minister for South Asia, Lord Tariq Ahmad, made a visit to the Buddhist Gangaramaya Temple in Colombo and tweeted that  “inclusivity of people of all faiths and beliefs defines the strength of a country’s human rights”.

Meeting with the TNA, Lord Ahmad stresses the need for progress on UN resolution 40/1

Meeting with leader of the Tamil National Alliance, R. Sampanthan, and parliamentarian M.A Sumanthiran, British Minister for South Asia Tariq Ahmad spoke on the need to address long-term Tamil concerns including ensuring Sri Lanka meets commitments under UN Human Rights Councils Resolution 46/1.

What next for Australia’s refugees?

Last week several refugee supporters, including myself, were arrested after dropping a banner off the rooftop of the Park Hotel in Naarm/Melbourne in protest of the plight of approximately 30 refugees who had been imprisoned onshore.

Sri Lankan minister fumes after Tamil MPs write to India

A Sri Lankan government minister criticised a letter that Tamil parliamentarians addressed to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi this week, denouncing their call to New Delhi for assistance.

“They should have conveyed their concerns to our President instead of the Indian Prime Minister because we are a sovereign country and not a part of the Indian Union,” said Sri Lanka’s energy minister Udaya Gammanpila.