• International Federation of Journalists condemn military's intimidation of Tamil press

    May 20
    The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today, condemned the Sri Lankan military’s blocking of roads and access to the offices of the Uthayan and Yarl Thinakkural, in Jaffna on May 18.
  • Sri Lanka’s Greatest War Criminal (Gotabaya) is a US Citizen: It’s Time to Hold Him Accountable
    Writing in Just Security this week, Ryan Goodman, a Professor of Law and Co-Chair of the Center for Human Rights and Global Justice at New York university School of Law, member of the Department of State’s Advisory Committee on International Law and member of Council on Foreign Relations argued that the US should prosecute Sri Lankan Defence Secretary, Gotabaya Rajapaksa for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

    See full opinion below.
  • Fear is a part of daily life for Tamils in North-East, says The Social Architects
    The Social Architects in a press update on the situation in the North-East of Sri Lanka, detailed the recent arrest of an elderly woman by Sri Lanka’s Terrorist Investigation Department ( TID) and the constant fear that people in the North-East lived under when interacting with their family in the diaspora.

    See full statement below.

  • Sri Lanka bans two more websites
    The Sri Lankan government has blocked two websites known for their critical views, reports Reuters.

    The two websites,     SriLankanMirror.com and TheIndependent.lk, have been banned by the state-run Telecommunication Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka

  • Italian Tamils raise awareness of May 2009 genocide 5 years on
    /files/Image/pictures/eelam/18 May 2014/Italia/IMG_3256.JPG
     Photographs Giovanni Tamil


    Tamils in Italy held exhibitions raising awareness about the genocide of Tamils, to mark the fifth anniversary of the massacre of Tamils in Mullivaikaal.

    Events took place in town squares in the cities of Reggio Emilia and Biella, with Tamil youth raising awareness about genocide while attendees paid their respects to the victims of the massacre.

  • Mullivaikal remembered in Stockholm
    Photographs Swedish Tamil Forum


    The 5th anniversary of the Mullivaikal massacre was marked in Stockholm, Sweden this weekend, with floral tributes and candles of remembrance.

  • Tamil Genocide Day' marked in Switzerland

    The fifth year anniversary of the Mullivaikal massacre was marked by Swiss Tamils as 'Tamils Genocide Day', at a remembrance event held in front of Parliament in the capital city Bern.

  • Canadian Tamils remember May 2009‏
    Photographs EET TV


    Thousands of Canadian Tamils gathered in Toronto's Albert Campbell Square, to mark the fifth anniversary of the Mullivaikal massacre.

  • Tamils in New Zealand remember Mullivaikal genocide 5 years on
    Photographs Sankathi24


    Tamils in New Zealand marked 5 years as 'Tamils Genocide Day', remembering the mass killing of tens of thousands of Tamils.

  • May 2009 genocide remembered in the Netherlands
    Photographs Sankathi24


    Tamils in the Netherlands held a memorial event marking the 5 year anniversary of the mass killing of tens of thousands of Tamils at the end of the armed conflict.

  • Sri Lanka ‘very happy’ at Jayalalithaa’s ‘reduced influence’

    The Sri Lankan government said it was very happy that the BJP’s strong showing in India’s election means that the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa will not be able to influence the central government, reported PTI.

    Spokesperson and Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said his government was pleased that they could conduct business with Narendra Modi without Tamil Nadu exerting “undue influence”.

  • Death threats issued to journalists and Jaffna uni staff, students over May 18 remembrance
    Updated 13:23 BST (adds translation)

    A death threat has been issued to staff and students at the University of Jaffna, as well as journalists over their attempts to commemorate the 5th anniversary of the Mullivaikal massacre despite the military banning any public events.

    In a flyer distributed around Jaffna today, the staff, students and journalists were given a "final warning" against those "encouraging or resurrecting terrorism".

    Some individuals, including journalists who played prominent role in reporting on remembrance events held this weekend as well as the heavy military presence around political party offices and temples, have been explicitly named.

    Stating that previous warnings had been ignored, the death threat said "they still do not reform, the final sentence is a death sentence. The final day has been marked for some."

    "Do not take this lightly as with previous warnings. You are guaranteed to be freed from this world," it concluded, signed by the 'Nation Guarding Force' and dated May 18.

  • Modi promises attention on Tamil suffering in Sri Lanka – Vaiko

    India’s Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi has pledged attention on the killings of Tamils by Sri Lanka, said the leader of Tamil Nadu’s MDMK, Vaiko.

  • Sri Lanka should comply with rights probe – HRW

    Sri Lanka should comply with the March 2014 United Nations Human Rights Council resolution, which created an international investigation into allegations of serious abuses by both sides, Human Rights Watch said today.

    The New York-based organisation said Sri Lanka had resisted taking meaningful steps to investigate allegations of war crimes as recommended by previous resolutions in 2012 and 2013.

    “The Sri Lankan government denounced the Human Rights Council resolution, yet for five long years it has failed to act on its promises to investigate and bring to justice wartime atrocities,” said Brad Adams, Asia director of HRW.

  • Rajapaksa in China for international conference

    Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has arrived in China for the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), where Sri Lanka is an observer state.

    The summit will be held in Shanghai until Thursday under the theme of “Increasing dialogue, mutual trust and collaboration to build a new Asia that is peaceful, stable and cooperative”.

    “CICA is a multinational forum comprising 24 countries and nine observer states including the US. Sri Lanka is attending the Summit for the first time,” Presidential spokesman Mohan Samaranayake told the Daily News.

Subscribe to Tamil Affairs

Most-Read Articles

Senior Buddhist monk from Anuradhapura remanded over sexual abuse of minor
A senior Sri Lankan Buddhist monk and chief prelate of the Anuradhapura Atamasthana,…
Velupillay makes history as first Tamil at a FIFA World Cup
Photograph: @Socceroos Nishan Velupillay has been selected in Australia's squad…
17 years today - A massacre in Mullivaikkal
To mark 17 years since the Sri Lankan military onslaught that massacred tens…
In Pictures - Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day commemorated in Mullivaikkal
All photographs by Uthayarasa Shalin Thousands of Tamils gathered at Mullivaikkal…
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay marks Mullivaikkal remembrance with pledge to support Eelam Tamils
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay issued a message on Monday evening marking…