• US wants to boost trade with SL

    Sep 09

    The American Chamber of Commerce in Colombo has said it is keen to boost investment and trade in Sri Lanka.

  • South Africa to make US $122 million investment

    The South African High Commissioner to Colombo, Geoff Doidge has announced that his country will make an initial investment of US$ 122 million, whilst speaking at a dinner hosted by the Export Development Board of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce for a Sout

  • UPFA wins most seats in controversial Eastern Provincial Council elections
    Sri Lanka’s ruling UPFA coalition has won 14 seats in the Eastern Provincial Council elections to the TNA’s 11, in an election mired with controversy.

    The margin and manner of victory has been hotly contested, with the loss of a seat for the Tamil National Alliance during a reported “power cut”, whilst votes were being counted in Batticaloa (See report from TamilNet here).

    The UPFA also managed to gain two ‘bonus seats’ through the Provincial Councils Elections Act (see here) despite having an overall winning margin of less than 7,000, according to government figures. If the TNA had won the ‘bonus seats’, they would have come first in the elections.

    Furthermore, low voter turnout and reports of threats and intimidation along with a massive Army and Police presence, marred the elections.

    Nonetheless, the Tamil National Alliance emerged as the single largest party in both Trincomalee and Batticaloa, only losing to the UPFA in the Amparai district.

    The TNA also saw a marked increase in votes from the 2010 Parliamentary elections in both Trincomalee and Batticaloa. In 2010, the TNA gained 33,268 and 66,235 votes in both districts respectively, but now obtained 44,396 and 104,682 votes in the district.

    The Eastern province has seen a flurry of colonisation and Sinhalisation, with the ICG reporting earlier this year that this was part of a strategy to ""change the facts of the ground", as has already happened in the east, and make it impossible to claim the north as a Tamil-majority area deserving of self-governance."

    Almost 100 civil society leaders earlier wrote to the Tamil National Alliance urging them to reject the provincial council system and the demerging of the North and East, as they prepare to contest in the upcoming Eastern Provincial Council Elections. See here.

    The Tamil National Alliance boycotted provincial council elections in the east in 2008, claiming the environment was not safe to operate in due to the activity of paramilitary groups.
  • Mannar Church attacked with stones
    Kappalenthi Mary’s Church in Karusal, Mannar was attacked by a group throwing stones, reports Uthayan.

    Stones were thrown into the Church during evening prayers on Friday and fire crackers were reportedly lit in an attempt to further disrupt worship. The bishop delivering mass is believed to have sustained minor injuries from the attack.
  • Elections over but security forces remain
    Despite the end of the Eastern Provincial Council elections, Sri Lanka’s police force have declared that they will remain out in full force in five areas across the province.

    Colombo Page reported that the police will remain in Akkaraipattu, Pothuvil, Thirukkovil, Sammanthurai and Kalmunai where there were reportedly high levels of election violence.
  • Low turnout at Provincial council polls in the east

    The Eastern Province elections saw low turnout by Muslims reported TamilNet.

    The polls, held on Saturday, saw around 60% of registered voters casting their vote.

  • Blake to visit Colombo next week

    Assistant Secretary of State Robert O. Blake is visiting Sri Lanka next week and will meet with External Affairs Minister GL Peiris to discuss ‘a wide range of issues, including progress in implementing the LLRC action plan’, according to the State Department.

  • Southerners ‘summoned’ in connection with Tamil Eelam flag incident

    Two people have been ‘summoned’ for inquiry in connection with the waving of the Eelam national flag during a protest in Nelliyadi, Jaffna, reports Uthayan

  • Jaffna Civil Society concerned about Pillay's visit - TamilNet

    Tamil civil society activists have written to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, expressing their concerns that Sri Lanka will use an upcoming visit from Pillay’s team to propagate a manufactured view of progress in post-war efforts on the island, reported TamilNet on Saturday.

    Extracts reproduced below:

    “While we welcome the visit of the team, we are concerned that the team might not be given the access that would enable an independent assessment of the Government of Sri Lanka’s performance of its obligations under Resolution A/HRC/19/2.

    “To avoid giving the GOSL the opportunity of appropriating the UN OHCHR team’s visit for their propaganda purposes we consider it important that your office seeks guarantees from the GOSL that the mission will have sufficient freedom in being able to devise their own agenda... particularly during their visits to the North and East parts of the country.

  • Another attack on Tamil Nadu fishermen by Lankan Navy
    The Sri Lankan Navy has been accused of attacking Tamil Nadu fisherman off the Kodiakarai coast yet again damaging fishing boats and injuring fishermen on Wednesday. 
  • Boycott, divestments and sanctions call against Sri Lanka
    Tamil Nadu based writer and poet Meena Kandasamy has called upon India to impose a boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaign against Sri Lanka, as "one of the solutions to the continued oppression against Tamils by Sri Lanka".

    Writing in Tehelka she stated that "there is no denying the fact that massive international pressure alone can halt the ongoing cultural and structural genocide against the Tamils in Sri Lanka" and called upon India to "sever all diplomatic relations with its island neighbour" and organise a widespread boycott against Sri Lanka.

    See her full piece here. Extracts have been reproduced below.
    “A visiting football team sends out the superficial message: all is well in Sri Lanka. It does not reveal that 4,000 university teachers have been striking for the past two months demanding better wages and greater spending on education, or that the government ordered the closure of all universities last week. It conceals a genocide that claimed 1 lakh Tamil lives in 2009 and a structural racism that marginalises minorities. In enthusiastically supporting the sporting spirit, even sections of the media fail to note that the football team had no permission to play in Tamil Nadu.”
  • Peiris delivers his pitch to the British

    External Affairs Minister G L Peiris spoke to an all-party Parliamentary delegation in the UK regarding the unfavourable travel advisory released by the FCO on Sri Lanka.

    Peiris told the British MPs:

  • China gets go-ahead to exploit Sri Lankan seas

    Sri Lanka has given Chinese corporations permission to fish in the sea off Pottuvil, Amparai reported Uthayan on Friday.

  • South African business delegation visits SL amid criticism

    A South African business delegation arrived in Sri Lanka on a four-day visit amid criticism.

    Comprising of members of the ANC's Progressive Business Forum, the delegation was led by the deputy minister of economic development, Professor Hlengiwe Mkhize.

    Sri Lanka's minister of industry and commerce, Rishad Bathiyutheen, asserted, "I have no doubts that this visit would help further strengthen the current trade levels of $65 million".

    The visit has drawn criticism from a coalition of civil society groups - the Solidarity Group for Peace and Justice in Sri Lanka (SGPJ), which includes the South African Tamil Federation, The Tamil Coordinating Committee and The World Saiva Council, along side other stakeholders - who have stated that it is "untenable" that South Africa had "chosen economic interests over the promotion of a just and equitable solution" for the Tamils.

  • Tamil Nadu fishermen fear reprisal attacks from SL Navy

    Fearing reprisal attacks from the Sri Lankan Navy, fishermen in Tamil Nadu have called on protesters to refrain from targeting Sri Lankans in Tamil Nadu.

    The Fishermen association in Rameshwaram condemned the attacks, saying that it would lead to further attacks from the Sri Lankan Navy, as has happened previously.

    "The fishermen are worried and we believe that they will not venture farther due to these issues," said N Devadoss of Tamil Nadu Fishermen Welfare Association. He went on to say, "we strongly condemn the attacks on pilgrims and tourists from Sri Lanka and hurting them is wrong. The state and Centre should take stringent measures against these outfits."

    Highlighting that many of those 'Sri Lankan nationals' who were targetted by protesters were Sinhala speaking Tamils, Devadoss said,

    "the Tamil outfits, which want to take political mileage should have thought as to how Buddhist Sinhalese people will come to churches here and must have verified the facts thoroughly."

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,…
17 years today - A massacre in Mullivaikkal
To mark 17 years since the Sri Lankan military onslaught that massacred tens…
Velupillay makes history as first Tamil at a FIFA World Cup
Photograph: @Socceroos Nishan Velupillay has been selected in Australia's squad…
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…