Tamil Affairs

Tamil News

Latest news from and about the homeland

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Sri Lanka's United National Party (UNP) has accused the National People's Power (NPP) government of attempting to undermine Buddhism and interfere in the affairs of the Buddhist clergy, as controversy continues over proposed reforms aimed at addressing misconduct within the Buddhist Sangha. The dispute comes amid heightened public scrutiny of Buddhist institutions following allegations of…

Sri Lankan president ignores environmental warnings, pushes Jaffna stadium plan

Sri Lankan president Anura Kumara Dissanayake visited Mandaitivu on Monday, pledging to press ahead with plans to construct the proposed Jaffna International Cricket Stadium, despite concerns over environmental destruction in the Tamil North-East.

HRCSL warns of extrajudicial killings, demands international expertise for mass grave

Chemmani grave findings

Sri Lanka’s Human Rights Commission (HRCSL) has issued a warning on the ongoing investigation into the Chemmani mass grave in Jaffna, stating there is a “reasonable likelihood” that the burials were unlawful and the result of extrajudicial killings.

Sri Lanka digs in against international justice as UNHRC convenes

Sri Lanka’s foreign minister Vijitha Herath has reiterated that Colombo will not permit any international role in investigating past human rights violations, as he prepares to address the upcoming 60th session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva.

Sri Lankan protesters rally behind Israel as Gaza genocide continues

Members of the Israel–Sri Lanka Friendship Development Organisation staged a protest outside the United Nations office in Colombo this week, publicly rallying behind Israel as it continues its assault on Gaza.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa to be questioned by CID over 2022 Galle Face attacks

Former Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his former presidential secretary Saman Ekanayake are to be summoned by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to make statements in connection with two separate cases.

Sinhala nationalist Gammanpila flees to Thailand to evade arrest over ‘kotiya’ slur

Former minister and Sinhala nationalist Udaya Gammanpila has fled to Thailand as he faces arrest in Sri Lanka over remarks in which he used the word “kotiya” — a term widely recognised as a derogatory slur against Tamils.

Minister slammed for dismissing Tamil calls for justice as ‘September dramas’

Sri Lanka’s Minister Bimal Rathnayake has come under criticism after remarks he made at an event to mark the International Day of the Disappeared at Temple Trees on Friday, where he referred to victims’ campaigns as “dramas” staged around September to coincide with the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) sessions in Geneva.

Sri Lanka uses PTA against underworld suspects despite pledge to scrap law

Five high-profile underworld figures who were arrested in Indonesia and repatriated to Sri Lanka last night, are being held and interrogated under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), police confirmed today.

Sri Lanka doubles down on Katchatheevu after Vijay blasts navy killings

Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath has issued a stern response to remarks made by Indian actor-turned-politician C. Joseph Vijay, who recently called for the retrieval of Katchatheevu island to protect Tamil Nadu’s fishermen.

“Katchatheevu Island belongs to Sri Lanka. It is an island belonging to Sri Lanka. Therefore, that will never change,” Herath told reporters during the weekly Cabinet press briefing in Colombo.

Amazon pulls sanctioned Sri Lankan war criminal's book, Penguin India under fire

Amazon UK has confirmed it has removed from sale the memoir of Sri Lanka’s former navy chief Wasantha Karannagoda, who remains sanctioned in the UK for command responsibility over “human rights violations including illegal killings and activities amounting to torture.”