Tamil Affairs

Tamil News

Latest news from and about the homeland

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Chemmani toll rises to 412, but the work of identifying the dead has not begun
Thirteen more skeletal remains were exhumed from the Chemmani mass grave on Monday and a further seven newly identified, bringing the total identified at the site to 412, of which 390 have now been exhumed, as the excavation, the largest at any mass grave on the island, entered its 31st day. Monday, the 31st day of the third phase of the court-supervised process, saw three sets of remains…

Sri Lanka 'blatantly misinformed' UN Human Rights Council says Muslim Council

Jul 1, 2014
The Muslim Council of Sri Lanka has accused the Sri Lankan government of issuing “blatant misinformation” at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, over the mob violence in Aluthgama which left three Muslims and a Tamil killed.

The civil society group charged Sri Lanka with misleading the international community, saying “it appears that the statement made in Geneva is very similar to the anti-Muslim statements made for local consumption by certain vested interests.”

Trees will become gallows' threatens BBS

Jul 1, 2014
A senior member of Bodu Bala Sena has warned that "all the buildings in the country would become prisons and trees would become gallows", if the organisation's leader Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Thero was to be arrested.

The head of BBS's Education and Research Section also added that “there are thousands willing to go to prison if Gnanasara Thero is arrested”, reported FT.lk.

His statement comes as Gnanasara Thero, the monk who heads the organisation and regularly gives inflammatory speeches, challenged police to arrest him, saying “they would perish if they proceeded”, according to ColomboPage.

Body found hanging in Batticaloa

Jul 1, 2014
The body of a 37 year old male has found dead in Batticaloa district on Wednesday, reported BattiNews.

The body, identified as that of Shanmugam Krishnakumar, was found hanging off a tree in V.C. Street in Kiran, a town 25km northwest of Batticaloa district capital.

The incident is being investigated by Eravur police who are treating the incident as murder.

Skeletal remains of LTTE cadres reportedly unearthed in North

Jul 1, 2014

Skeletal remains and clothing of female LTTE cadres have reportedly been discovered in Muhamalai, in the Northern province earlier this week, according to the Jaffna daily Uthayan.

UN experts urge Sri Lanka to stop Buddhist attacks on religions and bring perpetrators to justice

Jul 1, 2014
United Nations experts on freedom of religion, minority issues and summary executions, in a statement released Wednesday, urged Sri Lanka to stop Buddhist violence against other faiths and bring perpetrators of such violence to justice.

““This violence is fuelled by the atmosphere of impunity in Sri Lanka,” the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Heiner Bielefeldt, said.

 “Impunity and inadequate response from the police and judicial authorities aimed at protecting the lives, physical security, the property and places of worship of these communities may encourage further attacks and a risk of spiralling violence,” he added.

Police security for Northern Provincial councillors withdrawn, NPC chairman appeals

Jul 1, 2014
The police security for four councillors in the Northern Provincial Council was withdrawn suddenly last week, with government officials citing a change in legislation, reports ColomboGazette.

According to the police spokesman SSP Ajith Rohana, police security was withdrawn because a fresh application had to be made to the Ministry of Law and Order, which has been given responsibility to provide security for individuals.

Gotabhaya denies links to BBS

Jun 30, 2014

Sri Lanka’s defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa has denied any links to the Bodu Bala Sena, but questioned why the people calling for the police to take action against the group, were not calling for the arrest of Tamil Bishop Rayappu Joseph.

Rajapaksa, the brother of president Mahinda Rajapksa, told the Daily Mirror that he would resign if his involvement with the group was proven.

“I have nothing to do with the BBS. I have not at all been involved in any of this. All this is because of baseless accusations, and I will always say that some Muslim politicians and opposition politicians have put the blame on me. At the end the media has also done that. What facts do they have to say that? It’s very unfortunate that people write such baseless factless articles, that is very wrong. Because of these the international media believes they are true,” he said.

Asma Jahangir confident about inquiry regardless of Sri Lanka's non-cooperation

Jun 30, 2014
One of the three international experts appointed by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to lead the international inquiry into mass atrocities in Sri Lanka, Asma Jahangir, expressed confidence in the inquiry's ability to deliver answers despite the Sri Lankan government's persistent refusal to cooperate, in an interview with BBC Tamil.

Highlighting her previous experience in conducting UN inquiries when governments refused to cooperate, Ms Jahangir said “we have provided very independent and reliable reports, and these have been accepted too”.

A lawyer from Pakistan, Ms Jahangir, is also a former President of Pakistan’s Supreme Court Bar Association and of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, as well as the previous holder of several Human Rights Council mandates and member of a recent fact-finding body into Israeli settlements.

"It will be a very difficult task for any government to stop people from contacting investigators," she said, warning the Sri Lankan government that any attempts to prevent people from testifying at the inquiry would only be detrimental to them.

“People will always find a way to collaborate with such inquiries," she added.

The inquiry will begin during the first or second week of August.

The full interview by BBC Tamil is translated below:
Asma Jahangir: Our role is within our mandate. We are basically supposed to be making recommendations to the High Commissioner. We will ensure that the inquiry will be independent and that human rights violations by all sides will be looked in an unbiased manner.

BBC Tamil: The Sri Lankan government has said that it will not cooperate with your inquiry. If it does not issue you a visa and prevents people from being able to contact you, how will you be able to conduct the inquiry?

Political solution needed for North-East development says Vanni MP

Jun 30, 2014
Development in the North-East cannot take place without a permanent political solution in place, the TNA MP for Vanni District, Sivasakthi Ananthan, was quoted by the Uthayan as saying.

"Several thousands of millions of rupees is required to do development in North East, but the government cannot get this sum without finding a permanent solution," he said on Saturday.

"The govt has misjudged that it can win over the international community just as it did the war, but the truth is, without finding Tamils a permanent solution, it cannot win over the international community," he further added.

Sri Lankan MP warns ICC of inter-ethnic violence if UN takes action

Jun 30, 2014
The ruling party MP for Colombo district, Thilanga Sumathipala, warned the International Criminal Court (ICC)  of a "turbulent environment" and inter-ethnic violence in Sri Lanka and beyond, if the UN was to take action against Sri Lanka following an international inquiry into mass atrocities, reports FT.lk.

"If the UN persists in taking action against Sri Lanka, a turbulent environment is likely to prevail once again within our country. Furthermore this could affect the entire Asian region, with a rapid spread of unrest and violence between ethnic groups,” Mr Sumanthipala told the President of the ICC, Judge Sang-Hyun Song, during a visit to the Hague attending the Executive Committee of Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA).

He added:
"It is indeed regrettable and unjust that the United Nations has deemed it fit to yield to pressure from the globally-dominant Tamil population and use the weapon of human rights against the Sinhalese.

Trees will become gallows' threatens BBS
Body found hanging in Batticaloa
Skeletal remains of LTTE cadres reportedly unearthed in North
UN experts urge Sri Lanka to stop Buddhist attacks on religions and bring perpetrators to justice
Police security for Northern Provincial councillors withdrawn, NPC chairman appeals
Gotabhaya denies links to BBS
Asma Jahangir confident about inquiry regardless of Sri Lanka's non-cooperation
Political solution needed for North-East development says Vanni MP
Sri Lankan MP warns ICC of inter-ethnic violence if UN takes action
Australia hands Tamil asylum seekers to Sri Lankan Navy according to reports
Trees will become gallows' threatens BBS
Body found hanging in Batticaloa
Skeletal remains of LTTE cadres reportedly unearthed in North
UN experts urge Sri Lanka to stop Buddhist attacks on religions and bring perpetrators to justice
Police security for Northern Provincial councillors withdrawn, NPC chairman appeals
Gotabhaya denies links to BBS
Asma Jahangir confident about inquiry regardless of Sri Lanka's non-cooperation
Political solution needed for North-East development says Vanni MP
Sri Lankan MP warns ICC of inter-ethnic violence if UN takes action
Australia hands Tamil asylum seekers to Sri Lankan Navy according to reports