Saturday, April 20 , 2019
Archives
Books
Business News
Discussion Forum
Editorial
History
Issues
News
Photo Gallery
Readers Opinion
World News
Tamil Heritage

Vision of Hope

The question remains as to whether Tamils will be brave and prepared to move on from the past violent years of suffering >> More
..... Ancient Indus Civilisation

Early Port Cities in the Malay Peninsula
The ethnic Tamil people of the southernmost region of India played the active part to transfer their religious and cultural traits from their homeland to Southeast Asia. >> More
Call for Submissions
OHCHR Investigation on
Sri Lanka
Individuals, organisations and governments are invited to submit information
Tamil Eelam Freedom Charter
The creation of an independent and sovereign State of Tamil Eelam remains the only viable option to lead a life with security, dignity and equality, both individually and collectively.


"There are legitimate issues raised by the Tamil community and they have a legitimate desire to control their own lives, to rule their own destinies, and to govern themselves in their homeland.''

U.S. Assistant Secretary of
State for South and Central Asian Affairs, Richard Boucher


Have No Fear !

Those who would deny the Tamils their rights use the language of terrorism to demonise and discredit our legitimate grievances

Sri Lanka
"Indeed, it is an enduring scandal that there have been virtually no convictions of government officials for killing Tamils, and many Tamils doubt that the rule of law will protect their lives."

United Nations

Tamil Declaration for Self Determination
Vaddukoddai Resolution-1976

Tamil Eelam
Demand in International Law
The UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (G.A Resolution 2200 of 1966) in Article 1 states: "All peoples have the right of self-determination. By virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development."



1918 - 2005
'Dedication to
CJT Thamotheram
Late Patron'




  :: News
India election 2019: Voting kicks off in world's largest election
[ BBC ] [ 19 Apr 2019 01:28 GMT ]

It is mind-bogglingly vast - about 900 million people above the age of 18 will be eligible to cast their ballots at one million polling stations. [Full Story]

Stubborn Sri Lankan president making a mockery of justice
[ La Croix International ] [ 18 Apr 2019 01:04 GMT ]

U.N. rights body pressures Colombo to provide fixed timeline for war crimes probes and accept international judges [Full Story]

UNHRC Resolution 40/1 And the pathetic plight of the victims of the war in Sri Lanka
[ Sangam ] [ 17 Apr 2019 02:45 GMT ]

Tamils in Sri Lanka [North and East] are demanding their lost sovereignty and are entitled for the right of self-determination. [Full Story]

With No Big Leaders in the Mix, Political Undercurrents Could Play a Large Role in TN
[ The Wire ] [ 16 Apr 2019 17:23 GMT ]

The defence of Tamil land has a resonance here that is deeply felt, if not well understood by more metropolitan political actors. [Full Story]

New Year in India: Who celebrates what?
[ Gulf News ] [ 15 Apr 2019 17:25 GMT ]

A look at some of the delicacies served on the festive occasion. [Full Story]

GTF calls for victim-centric approach in Sri Lanka
[ CG ] [ 14 Apr 2019 00:10 GMT ]

'It is an undisputable fact that ten years after the end of the war, not a single family affected by enforced disappearance has been able to ascertain the truth, or received justice or reparation, and no one has been punished for the war crimes committed. [Full Story]

Sri Lanka's former defence chief accused of torture and killing after being served lawsuit in US grocery parking lot
[ The Independent UK ] [ 13 Apr 2019 00:27 GMT ]

A separate case was filed by the family of murdered Sri Lankan editor Lasantha Wickremetunge, whose January 2009 assassination stunned the island and the international community. [Full Story]

Sri Lankan Tamil leader wants funds to revive war-ravaged north
[ Economy Next ] [ 12 Apr 2019 00:45 GMT ]

Sri Lanka's government should start disbursing funds without further delay to revive the economy of the war-ravaged north and east of the island, the leader of the Tamil National Alliance said. [Full Story]

Plight Of Sri Lankan Refugees In Tamil Nadu
[ SL Guardian ] [ 11 Apr 2019 01:14 GMT ]

The real issue of the refugees of Tamil Nadu is discussed in the third chapter of the book - the 'Island in Distress.' [Full Story]

Sri Lanka given two-year deadline to probe war claims
[ UCANews ] [ 10 Apr 2019 02:04 GMT ]

'The slow pace of progress covers nearly all of the areas including finding missing persons, returning land, releasing detainees held without trial, replacing the Prevention of Terrorism Act, and bringing those accused of war-related crimes and other serious crimes to justice,' [Full Story]

Brother of Sri Lanka ex-president sued over alleged torture and killings
[ The Guardian UK ] [ 09 Apr 2019 15:15 GMT ]

The brother of the former Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa is being sued in a US court over alleged extrajudicial killing and torture. [Full Story]

Towards reconciliation: UN examines reports of torture in Sri Lanka
[ TRT World ] [ 08 Apr 2019 02:05 GMT ]

It has now been 10 years since Sri Lanka’s bloody conflict ended but for many, the scars and trauma of the war still remain. [Full Story]

Another UN Human Rights Council resolution on Sri Lanka… (an explainer)
[ Sri Lanka Campaign ] [ 07 Apr 2019 00:11 GMT ]

Been following recent developments on Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council but unsure of what it all means? In this explainer, we try to answer some of the key questions. [Full Story]

SHORT FILM: Sri Lanka and the search for justice, ten years on
[ Sri Lanka Campaign ] [ 06 Apr 2019 01:50 GMT ]

It asks what the international community can and must now do to help bring an end to the culture of impunity in Sri Lanka, before the window of opportunity to lay the foundations for sustainable peace closes. [Short film]

How the Legacy of Its Failure in Sri Lanka Still Haunts the U.N. Today
[ World Politics Review ] [ 05 Apr 2019 01:45 GMT ]

The U.N. has failed to stop new outbreaks of violence from Syria to Myanmar and beyond. [Full Story]

Psychosocial Assessment of the War Affected Northern and Eastern Provinces of Sri Lanka: Distress and Growth Post-War
[ International Centre for Ethnic Studies ] [ 04 Apr 2019 02:30 GMT ]

This assessment found that as of 2017 there are significant numbers of individuals still suffering with psychological distress and disorders in Northern and Eastern Provinces. [Full Story]

UNHRC ignores Sri Lanka's failure to investigate war crimes
[ World Socialist Web Site ] [ 03 Apr 2019 02:11 GMT ]

The 'positive steps' are a fiction. Ten years after the end of the war the North and East of the country remain under military occupation. [Full Story]

Sri Lanka Tamils demand foreign judges in war crimes probe
[ Daily Mail UK ] [ 02 Apr 2019 01:05 GMT ]

With no measurable progress, the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Thursday gave Sri Lanka two more years to set up a credible investigation. [Full Story]

An Open Letter To The High Commissioner For Human Rights
[ CT ] [ 01 Apr 2019 00:19 GMT ]

It was colonial Britain that did some of the dreadful things that has resulted in the current mess. [Full Story]

Don't need job to help world: Indian student speaks at UNHRC
[ The New Indian Express ] [ 31 Mar 2019 02:07 GMT ]

'We should take the opportunity and time we have right now and make our voices heard.' [Full Story]

Tamils criticise UN resolution on Sri Lanka
[ Green Left ] [ 30 Mar 2019 02:25 GMT ]

'very little justice has reached victims and survivors' for what it describes as 'mass atrocity crimes committed against the Tamil population'. [Full Story]

Australia says Sri Lankan allegations should be investigated
[ Washington Post ] [ 29 Mar 2019 22:01 GMT ]

The Sri Lankan government's recent co-sponsoring of a resolution at the U.N. Human Rights Council reiterating its commitment to investigate the allegations gives Australia confidence. [Full Story]

Losing Santhia, part four
[ Redflag ] [ 28 Mar 2019 00:45 GMT ]

After the softening up was achieved the peacemakers packed up and left, leaving the ground open for a full scale military operation by the Sri Lankan state.' [Full Story]

Sri Lanka's latest attempt to legalize state terror
[ UCANews ] [ 27 Mar 2019 00:04 GMT ]

Replacing one act that tramples on human rights with another that makes potential suspects of us all is no solution. [Full Story]

Small Northern Businesses Struggle for Funding
[ LBO ] [ 26 Mar 2019 21:07 GMT ]

The story of a small businessman, with an impressive track record, who is struggling to raise money either by loan or by finding an investor. [Full Story]

Sri Lanka: New Human Rights Council resolution must lead to faster progress
[ Amnesty International ] [ 25 Mar 2019 01:19 GMT ]

With this resolution the international community should actively engage with Sri Lanka towards faster progress on truth, justice, reparation, including guarantees of non-recurrence. [Full Story]

Accountability for International Crimes in Sri Lanka - A View on UN Approaches in other Situations
[ European Centre for Const & Human Rights ] [ 24 Mar 2019 00:14 GMT ]

As long as impunity for international crimes is prevailing in Sri Lanka and neither the domestic system is able and willing to deal with those crimes appropriately nor a hybrid court as envisaged in Resolution 30/1 is set up, alternatives must be considered. [Full Report]

Time-bound implementation plan needed to hold Sri Lanka to its Commitments
[ Human Rights Watch ] [ 23 Mar 2019 00:25 GMT ]

Stronger measures are needed to assist in monitoring, implementing and fulfilling these commitments, such as an OHCHR field presence, Special Procedure and evidence-gathering, justice and accountability mechanisms. [Full Story]

Sri Lanka: Need for time-bound plan for implementation of commitments to the Human Rights Council
[ Human Rights Watch ] [ 22 Mar 2019 02:35 GMT ]

These included an accountability mechanism involving international judges, prosecutors, investigators, and defense lawyers; a truth and reconciliation mechanism; an office of missing persons; and an office for reparations. [Full Story]

UN Human Rights Council should maintain its scrutiny of Sri Lanka as justice remains elusive
[ Amnesty International ] [ 21 Mar 2019 00:01 GMT ]

The government's slow progress in establishing meaningful transitional justice measures, which as the report highlights, has engendered a loss of faith among victims and other stakeholders. [Full Story]

Press Sri Lanka to take steps for devolution of powers to Tamils
[ Business Standard ] [ 20 Mar 2019 02:35 GMT ]

Urge 'the Sri Lankan government for due devolution of administrative powers' to Tamil dominated areas, besides providing Constitutional guarantee for Tamils with regard to human rights, property, language and religious rights. [Full Story]

Sri Lanka, the top holiday destination for 2019, is polluted by torture and lies
[ The Independent UK ] [ 19 Mar 2019 08:55 GMT ]

'The picture they paint is all rainbows and butterflies since the elections in 2015. But that’s wrong. The fear and distrust is constant.' [Full Story]

Indian catholic pilgrims attend annual festival at St. Anthony's Church in Sri Lanka
[ Doordarshan ] [ 18 Mar 2019 01:06 GMT ]

About 6,500 Catholic devotees from Sri Lanka and 2100 devotees from India attended the event. [Full Story]

The enduring relevance of Tamil nationalism
[ The Hindu ] [ 17 Mar 2019 23:17 GMT ]

Some argue that the scope of 'Tamil issues' has vastly expanded since 2009 to encompass a wider variety of problems. [Full Story]

God has given us all the same rights
[ Insights News ] [ 16 Mar 2019 02:02 GMT ]

God is for the down-trodden the poor, the captives, the prisoners and Jesus himself was a refugee. [Full Story]

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2018 - Sri Lanka
[ US State Dept ] [ 15 Mar 2019 12:49 GMT ]

The government had yet to implement a mechanism to hold accountable government security personnel accused of crimes during the civil war. [Full Story]

MIA: Celebrating the Unified but Complex Identity of Refugees
[ The Badger ] [ 14 Mar 2019 09:23 GMT ]

This film excels in highlighting the severely under-reported conflict in Sri Lanka, and critiques anti-refugee sentiment by celebrating unique artistry, cultural respect in success, and unified but complex identity. [Full Story]

Melody feast at Tamil Society programme next fortnight
[ The Indian Newslink ] [ 13 Mar 2019 03:45 GMT ]

Lovers of Tamil film music can expect an evening of melody and entertainment at a programme to be held in Auckland later this month. [Full Story]

Sri Lanka backtracks on UN war crimes probe
[ TRT World ] [ 12 Mar 2019 01:06 GMT ]

Sri Lankan government troops were accused of killing at least 40,000 ethnic Tamil civilians in the final months of the island's 37-year guerrilla war that ended in May 2009. [Full Story]

Promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka
[ Human Rights Council ] [ 11 Mar 2019 00:55 GMT ]

The lack of progress shows that the situation of human rights in Sri Lanka should remain firmly on the agenda of the Human Rights Council. [Full Report PDF]

The Women Who Are Clearing the Minefields in Sri Lanka
[ The Atlantic ] [ 10 Mar 2019 01:20 GMT ]

It has been nearly 10 years since the end of the Sri Lankan civil war, a horrific conflict that lasted more than 25 years and claimed an estimated 100,000 lives. [Full Story]

The Russian Revolution and the Unfinished Twentieth Century published in Tamil
[ WSWS ] [ 09 Mar 2019 02:31 GMT ]

The Russian Revolution and the Unfinished Twentieth Century is invaluable for Tamil-speaking workers, youth and intellectuals in Sri Lanka, south India and exile communities throughout the world. [Full Story]

Sri Lanka Sends a Relentless Purveyor of Misinformation to Geneva
[ Medium ] [ 08 Mar 2019 00:10 GMT ]

Sri Lanka isn't serious about the commitments related to human rights and transitional justice that it has made at the HRC. [Full Story]

UK court ruling raises hopes of asylum for torture survivors
[ The Guardian UK ] [ 07 Mar 2019 02:50 GMT ]

The case involved a 36-year-old Tamil man, referred to as KV, whose medical evidence that he was tortured was rejected by the Home Office and the lower courts. [Full Story]

Time to Forget, Forgive in Lanka Reconciliation, Says PM Ranil Wickremesinghe in Kilinochchi
[ News18 ] [ 06 Mar 2019 01:20 GMT ]

The prime minister proposed to the Cabinet to set up a 'Truth and Reconciliation Commission' to deal with issues of the post conflict reconciliation. [Full Story]

'Don't Give Additional Time to Sri Lanka', Mothers of Disappeared Persons Tell The UN
[ NewsClick ] [ 05 Mar 2019 00:45 GMT ]

The Tamils are apprehensive that the evidence of war crimes, which includes the mass graves, can be destroyed and tampered with by the security forces. [Full Story]

What went wrong with Sri Lanka? (Part II)
[ FT ] [ 04 Mar 2019 02:05 GMT ]

'Tale of Two Countries,' a book gives an interesting account on how Singapore had employed the Tamils disenchanted with Sri Lanka to achieve its present progress. [Full Story]

TAMIL NEW ZEALAND SCHOOL OF DANCE ANNUAL CONCERT SHOWCASES YOUNG TALENT
[ Indian Weekender ] [ 03 Mar 2019 00:07 GMT ]

Bharathanatyam is a 'living' performance art which has always been a growing art in India and on a global scale. Especially music and dance are a revelation of many thousands of years of culture and civilisation. [Full Story]

Ten Years After A War Without Witnesses: Global Tamil Forum Calls To Ensure Sri Lanka Firmly Remains On The UNHRC Agenda
[ CT ] [ 02 Mar 2019 02:22 GMT ]

Ten years after the end of one of the most brutal wars of recent times, all victims and their families, irrespective of their background, need justice and closure. [Full Story]

No will, no way: stalled efforts to deal with the past in Sri Lanka
[ Sri Lanka Campaign ] [ 01 Mar 2019 20:34 GMT ]

Three years since the adoption of Resolution 30/1, the overwhelming majority of the commitments made by the government of Sri Lanka remain either mostly or completely unachieved. [Full Report]

Sri Lanka: Time to Set-up a TRC?
[ International Policy Digest ] [ 28 Feb 2019 00:07 GMT ]

For reconciliation to 'work' in Sri Lanka the first task is to establish a solidly-anchored localized understanding of what the term implies. [Full Story]

Lanka's Tamil-dominated north observes shut down over justice for disappeared persons
[ The New Indian Express ] [ 27 Feb 2019 01:00 GMT ]

'Ten years passed since the bloody war came to an end but nothing has changed significantly in our daily lives, we are still searching for our loved ones, our lands are still occupied. [Full Story]

Jaffna’s Emerging Women Entrepreneurs
[ LBO ] [ 26 Feb 2019 02:36 GMT ]

She is working hard to ensure 'entrepreneur fever' takes hold among the women of the North and East and the rest of Sri Lanka too. [Full Story]

Short Film: Under the Wire
[ BBC iPlayer ] [ 25 Feb 2019 00:05 GMT ]

Marie Colvin was one the most fearless reporters of her time. She dedicated her life to bearing witness to the lives of ordinary people caught up in the world’s most dangerous conflicts. [Full Story]

Ten years after end of war, Tamils still waiting to return home
[ Aljazeera ] [ 24 Feb 2019 02:18 GMT ]

Those families are among an estimated 40,000 people - mostly Tamils - who remain displaced a decade after the end of the war. [Full Story]

Sri Lanka's unanswered human rights questions
[ The Hindu ] [ 23 Feb 2019 20:02 GMT ]

The war-affected community's basic needs have awaited attention and action for a decade. [Full Story]

What went wrong with Sri Lanka?
[ FT ] [ 22 Feb 2019 00:05 GMT ]

After independence, it has become a country headed for destruction rather than making progress. [Full Story]

Battlelines in Tamil Nadu
[ The Indian Express ] [ 21 Feb 2019 23:07 GMT ]

With the passing away of J Jayalalithaa and M Karunanidhi, the AIADMK and DMK are short of charismatic, pan-state leaders who can sway voters. [Full Story]

Achievements of people of Tamil Nadu have been praiseworthy: TN Governor
[ United News of India ] [ 20 Feb 2019 00:34 GMT ]

The Governor said one hears of the Chola Kings extending their domination in Sri Lanka, Indonesia and many other parts of South East Asia. [Full Story]

Sri Lanka: Still looking for answers
[ SL Guardian ] [ 19 Feb 2019 13:14 GMT ]

She had been campaigning for 10 long years to find out – and died still not knowing. [Full Story]

Old ones out: Lankan Tamils have new 'saviours'
[ The New Indian Express ] [ 18 Feb 2019 00:02 GMT ]

Though 10 years have passed, Tamils in Sri Lanka are still struggling for their right to property. [Full Story]

Replace anti-terror law in compliance with global-norms: EU tells Lanka
[ Menafn ] [ 17 Feb 2019 02:00 GMT ]

According to the government figures, around 20,000 people are missing due to various conflicts. [Full Story]

War And After: How Poet Cheran Mapped The Sri Lankan Conflict Through Verse
[ Huffington Post ] [ 16 Feb 2019 00:02 GMT ]

'It is a defeat for those who see it in complete nationalist perspective. The fire for liberation will continue to burn. [Full Story]

Sri Lankan families remember missing lovers
[ UCA ] [ 15 Feb 2019 01:05 GMT ]

Several Catholic priests were killed or went missing during the 26-year war that ended in 2009. Rights groups say up to 40,000 civilians were killed and thousands disappeared. [Full Story]

Only one BOI project in the North funded by Diaspora, says report
[ Sunday Times ] [ 14 Feb 2019 00:52 GMT ]

In the war decades immediately prior to the war, the North was characterised by outstanding educational institutions, a prosperous class of professionals and a booming agricultural economy. [Full Story]

Pentagon seeks sustained engagement with Sri Lanka
[ The Tribune ] [ 13 Feb 2019 02:28 GMT ]

'The political turmoil and ethnic tension between the Tamil and Sinhalese populations, however, remain drivers of instability and potential obstacles to continued growth in our partnership,' [Full Story]

UK propose extending UN lifeline to Sri Lanka on accountability
[ Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka ] [ 12 Feb 2019 23:25 GMT ]

The UK will lead an international request to grant Sri Lanka more time to fulfill its undelivered commitments on ten years old wartime atrocities, despite protests by victims. [Full Story]

Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu: Common grounds That Can Turn a New page in Bilateralism
[ Modern Diplomacy ] [ 11 Feb 2019 23:49 GMT ]

For Sri Lanka’s relations with India to flourish finding common grounds and integrating economic diplomacy with Tamil Nadu can be a new basis for opening a new page in Indo-Lanka ties. [Full Story]

He never came home
[ Sri Lanka Campaign ] [ 10 Feb 2019 01:07 GMT ]

Prageeth Eknaligoda was an outspoken critic of the government of Sri Lanka. [Full Story]

Sri Lankan president's Independence Day speech exposes deep crisis of rule
[ World Socialist Web Site ] [ 09 Feb 2019 02:25 GMT ]

The only way to achieve essential democratic and social rights is on the basis of the fight for socialist internationalism and the struggle to establish a socialist republic of Sri Lanka and Eelam. [Full Story]

Time to Deliver Justice for War Victims in Sri Lanka
[ Sangam ] [ 08 Feb 2019 01:06 GMT ]

The 40th Sessions of Human Rights Council is scheduled to be held in Geneva from February 22nd to March 22, 2019. [Full Story]

Sri Lanka Is Poised for a Wild and Rocky Year
[ Pacific Forum ] [ 07 Feb 2019 20:09 GMT ]

A longstanding democracy has flirted with full-scale authoritarianism. [Full Story]

Sri Lanka: Hope flickers as justice still proves elusive
[ Amnesty International ] [ 06 Feb 2019 02:15 GMT ]

Time is running out for the Sri Lankan authorities to deliver on its 2015 commitments to truth, justice, reparations and guarantees of non-recurrence. [Full Report]

Rosamund Pike on playing the 'fierce' war reporter killed by the Syrian regime
[ BBC ] [ 05 Feb 2019 03:01 GMT ]

Colvin's fateful final assignment has already inspired a film documentary, Under the Wire, which will be shown on BBC Four on 11 February. [Full Story]

Sri Lanka, an Island Nation That Is Best Savored Slowly
[ The New York Times ] [ 04 Feb 2019 00:34 GMT ]

Kandy, once its own independent kingdom on the island until it fell victim to British colonial power in the early 19th century. [Full Story]

The Puzzle of Proto-Elamite
[ History Today ] [ 03 Feb 2019 01:06 GMT ]

Linguists believe Elamite to be related to the Dravidian languages of South India, which include Tamil, and an Elamo-Dravidian family stretching from the Gulf to India could include the language of the Harappan civilisation in the Indus Valley. [Full Story]

History of Elam
[ Time Maps ] [ 02 Feb 2019 02:11 GMT ]

The south-west corner of Iran was known in the ancient world as Elam. [Full Story]

Sri Lanka: Countering terrorism at the expense of human rights: Concerns with Sri Lanka's Counter Terrorism Bill
[ Amnesty International ] [ 01 Feb 2019 00:05 GMT ]

The draft law, which permits detention without charge for up to one year, contains ambiguity on critical definitions of what constitutes an offence of terrorism. [Full Story]

US court finds Syrian government liable for Marie Colvin killing
[ Financial Times UK ] [ 31 Jan 2019 20:00 GMT ]

Colvin, the subject of a new feature film, was an award-winning war journalist who was recognisable by the eye patch she wore after a grenade from a military ambush in Sri Lanka blinded her on one side. [Full Story]

Sri Lanka: Proposed counter terrorism law does not comply with international law
[ Amnesty International ] [ 30 Jan 2019 23:55 GMT ]

Amnesty International is concerned that if the Counter Terror Bill is to become law, it will violate Sri Lanka's human rights obligations. [Full Story]

Where is the political will for justice?
[ Amnesty International ] [ 29 Jan 2019 01:23 GMT ]

In the case of the 'Trinco 5', surviving witnesses are afraid to come forward to provide testimony. [Full Story]

Ancient Tamil People of India
[ Google Books ] [ 28 Jan 2019 00:02 GMT ]

The Tamil people of southern India played an important role in formation and development of early coastal states of Malay peninsula. [Full Story]

Need 'Serious Dialogues' For Repatriation Of Sri Lankan Refugees: Envoy
[ NDTV ] [ 27 Jan 2019 00:55 GMT ]

Sri Lanka needs to give them feeling that they will have food, shelter, education for their children and means for livelihood when they go back. [Full Story]

Constitutional reform in Sri Lanka
[ Asia Times ] [ 26 Jan 2019 02:11 GMT ]

The international political struggle to establish an autonomous Tamil state in the Northern and Eastern Provinces continues unabated. [Full Story]

Will Human Rights turn around in 2019?
[ Amnesty International ] [ 25 Jan 2019 00:34 GMT ]

2018 has been a difficult year for human rights in South Asia. Crackdowns on the Right to Freedom of Expression intensified across the region. [Full Story]

Nationalism, Development and Ethnic Conflict in Sri Lanka
[ London School of Economics ] [ 24 Jan 2019 00:04 GMT ]

The book engages with some of the central issues in contemporary Sri Lanka: why has the ethnic conflict been so protracted, and so resistant to solution? [Full Story]

Sri Lanka's new Constitution falls short of expectations Tamil party
[ The Week ] [ 23 Jan 2019 01:49 GMT ]

The party stood for a federal solution based on the concept of fully fledged self determination for the Tamils in the north and east. [Full Story]

The Roots of Sri Lanka's Political Crisis and Why It May Not Be Over
[ World Politics Review ] [ 22 Jan 2019 11:49 GMT ]

The recent crisis, and its resolution, showcased an impressive amount of resilience on the part of Sri Lanka's democracy and rule of law. [Full Story]

The Louisiana Jesuit who fought for truth and justice in war-torn Sri Lanka
[ America Magazine ] [ 21 Jan 2019 03:41 GMT ]

Father Miller was a witness, advocate, intermediary and protector not only for his students but for anyone in Batticaloa who sought his help. [Full Story]

Men's Fashion Week: Jeenu Mahadevan calls out colourism
[ BBC ] [ 20 Jan 2019 20:27 GMT ]

He's modelled for fashion powerhouses including Versace, Givenchy Alexander McQueen and Burberry. [Full Story]

Manmohan Singh: India's 'accidental PM' biopic causes stir
[ BBC ] [ 19 Jan 2019 15:09 GMT ]

He looks befuddled when he takes orders from Sonia Gandhi, then president of the Congress party which was in power at the time. [Full Story]

Counting and Cracking: the story behind Belvoir Street theatre's most ambitious play to date
[ The Guardian UK ] [ 18 Jan 2019 00:12 GMT ]

Shakthi hopes Counting and Cracking 'can help people heal'. [Full Story]

Sri Lanka: Political Crisis Threatens Justice Efforts
[ Human Rights Watch ] [ 17 Jan 2019 18:38 GMT ]

Sri Lanka's political upheaval undermined stalled processes aimed at providing truth and justice for abuses from the country's civil war, Human Rights Watch said today in releasing its World Report 2019. [Full Report]

Sri Lankan tea workers demand wage increase
[ UCA News ] [ 16 Jan 2019 20:05 GMT ]

'As daily drinkers of tea, we must stand up for the rights of tea workers and support their immediate struggle for a living wage and humane working conditions,' she said. [Full Story]

Key task to strengthen Tamil Solidarity campaign in 2019
[ Tamil Solidarity ] [ 15 Jan 2019 23:55 GMT ]

Tamil Solidarity is a unique campaign within the Tamil community in Britain as it links the Tamil Struggle with the workers' movement in Britain. [Full Story]

Sakkarai Pongal Recipe: Celebrate Pongal with this easy Sakkarai Pongal recipe!
[ Times of India ] [ 15 Jan 2019 20:12 GMT ]

In India, festivals are all about happiness and harmony, right from worshipping the almighty to wearing new clothes to enjoying delicious delicacies. [Full Story]

Canada PM Justin Trudeau extends Thai Pongal wishes to Tamil community around the world
[ Times Now News ] [ 14 Jan 2019 23:58 GMT ]

Canada PM Justin Trudeau celebrated Pongal with Tamil community and posted his wishes in the Tamil language. [Full Story]

Prime Minister Theresa May's Thai Pongal message
[ 10 Downing Street ] [ 14 Jan 2019 20:00 GMT ]

Our Tamil community is a fantastic example of what that looks like, helping make Britain the diverse, successful country we are all so proud of. [Full Story]

Counting the Dead
[ ITJP ] [ 13 Jan 2019 00:42 GMT ]

The ITJP and the Human Rights Data Analysis Group are initiating a worldwide movement to list, name and count the dead from the war in Sri Lanka. [Full Story]

The difference between Scottish and Sri Lankan media points to a better future for us
[ The National ] [ 12 Jan 2019 01:19 GMT ]

One is the grisly excavations of bones from a mass grave beneath an old public building in the town of Mannar. It has all the hallmarks of Michael Ondaatje's Anil's Ghost, a novel that uses forensics to detect the presence of mass murder. [Full Story]

Sri Lanka: Allegations against new Army Chief of Staff highlight the urgent need to address impunity
[ Amnesty International ] [ 11 Jan 2019 21:15 GMT ]

Amnesty International urges the government of Sri Lanka embark on its commitments on justice and security sector reform to ensure effective remedies for the victims and non-recurrence without further delay. [Full Story]

Five famous food items of Tamil Nadu
[ Tentaran ] [ 10 Jan 2019 02:16 GMT ]

Tamil Nadu is famous to the belief that serving food to others is a service to humanity. [Full Story]

Sri Lanka initiates action against violations of local language laws at Chinese project sites
[ Times of India ] [ 09 Jan 2019 00:34 GMT ]

Sri Lankan authorities believe that complete ignorance of official Sri Lankan languages on Chinese project sites is an onslaught on the culture that binds the island country together. [Full Story]

Sri Lanka slaying anniversary highlights hunt for justice
[ AFP ] [ 08 Jan 2019 03:10 GMT ]

Ten years after top newspaper editor Lasantha Wickrematunge was killed by a suspected government death squad the failure to secure a prosecution has come to highlight Sri Lanka's struggle with a dark past. [Full Story]

Kumar Ponnambalam remembered 19 years on
[ Tamil Guardian ] [ 07 Jan 2019 00:02 GMT ]

Human rights lawyer and former leader of the All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC), Kumar Ponnambalam, was remembered today in Jaffna and Batticaloa, 19 years after his assassination in Colombo. [Full Story]

Finding the real Sri Lanka in the places that were once off-limits
[ The Telegraph UK ] [ 06 Jan 2019 02:50 GMT ]

In 1945, Trinco's vast natural harbour, among the largest in the world, had become a small town of naval vessels. [Full Story]

Some stark reminders for Sri Lanka's east
[ The Hindu ] [ 05 Jan 2019 02:49 GMT ]

Fr. Miller's passing on New Year's day brought to focus his untiring work in Batticaloa for 70 years, and the many distressing episodes he recorded during that time. [Full Story]

Rights defending priest mourned in Sri Lanka
[ UCANews ] [ 04 Jan 2019 03:27 GMT ]

Father Miller fought against civil war abuses by both the military and secessionist ethnic-Tamil militants. [Full Story]

Is Sri Lanka's painful history going to repeat?
[ UCAN ] [ 03 Jan 2019 00:45 GMT ]

The change of government in January 2015 averted possible international sanctions over Rajapakse's failure to adequately deal with war crimes. [Full Story]

Jaffna to New York's Wall Street and back to Jaffna
[ LBO ] [ 02 Jan 2019 00:39 GMT ]

The North needs to be kick-started by those who will take some risk. Once that is done there will be enough opportunities for those who won't. [Full Story]

TNA will gain political mileage out of its support to shaky govt: Rajapaksa
[ The Hindu ] [ 01 Jan 2019 02:47 GMT ]

Sri Lanka's main Tamil party demands devolution of powers in the new Constitution to resolve ethnic issues. [Full Story]

Iravatham Mahadevan Passes Away
[ Harappa ] [ 31 Dec 2018 01:20 GMT ]

India's leading expert on the Indus script, and Padmashri award winner (2009), sadly passed away on Monday in Chennai. He was 89. [Full Story]

Were Local Politics or Geopolitical Rivalries Behind Sri Lanka's Recent Coup Crisis?
[ World Politics Review ] [ 31 Dec 2018 01:05 GMT ]

The failed coup revealed Sri Lanka's institutions to be sneakily strong. [Full Story]

How ancient DNA may rewrite prehistory in India
[ BBC ] [ 30 Dec 2018 12:59 GMT ]

The First Indians, descendants of the Out of Africa (OoA) migrants who had reached India around 65,000 years ago - and together, they went on to create the Harappan civilisation. [Full Story]

Northern floods and an urgent task at hand
[ The hindu ] [ 29 Dec 2018 23:50 GMT ]

Many in the Tamil-majority area were yet to fully recover from the harsh drought over the past few years when the unexpected, heavy showers ravaged their villages. [Full Story]

The second freedom struggle (III)
[ FT ] [ 28 Dec 2018 01:32 GMT ]

What the country needs today is not a superficial or deceptive change, but a true change that could effect a wholesome and far-reaching transformation in the overall picture of Sri Lanka. [Full Story]

Stable Community: A Christmas Reflection
[ GV ] [ 27 Dec 2018 02:02 GMT ]

The brash endorsement of an unregulated free market economy, threatens to drown the poorest in our national family in an ocean of bondage. [Full Story]

Sri Lanka story may not end happily
[ The Pioneer ] [ 26 Dec 2018 00:45 GMT ]

An encouraging outcome, in which Parliament, the courts and the general public behaved better than anybody expected, but of course the story is never really over. [Full Story]

Pope Francis condemns world of materialism and poverty
[ BBC ] [ 25 Dec 2018 16:05 GMT ]

Pope Francis has called on people in developed countries to live a simpler and less materialistic life. [Full Story]

Pope Francis urges peace in conflict zones in Christmas address
[ BBC ] [ 25 Dec 2018 15:59 GMT ]

In his homily, Pope Francis said the birth of Christ pointed to a new way to live "not by devouring and hoarding, but by sharing and giving'. [Full Story]

The Queen's Christmas message
[ BBC ] [ 25 Dec 2018 15:55 GMT ]

The Queen has said the Christian message of 'peace on earth and goodwill to all' is 'needed as much as ever', in her Christmas Day broadcast.' [Full Story]

Were there more than Three Kings?
[ BBC ] [ 24 Dec 2018 00:24 GMT ]

Just over 2,000 years ago an auspicious star appeared in the night sky. Twelve kings from the East gathered here at Hah. A select three went on to Bethlehem bearing gifts to greet the newborn Christ.' [Full Story]

Tamil Leaders Played An Honourable Role In Restoring Constitutional Governance In Sri Lanka
[ CT ] [ 23 Dec 2018 23:57 GMT ]

It is indeed an irony of the highest degree that the Parliamentarians from TNA, find themselves in a position to play a crucial role in restoring the constitutional governance of the country - despite the undemocratic practices to which the Tamil community has historically been subjected to. [Full Story]

Sampanthan more a Statesman
[ Ceylon Today ] [ 22 Dec 2018 23:58 GMT ]

R. Sampanthan he would go down in history as the saviour of democracy and the Parliamentary system in the country. [Full Story]

Wickremesinghe to abolish Executive Presidency and solve Tamil question within a unitary constitution
[ NewsIn.Asia ] [ 21 Dec 2018 00:04 GMT ]

We have created an environment in which different ethnic groups can live together in harmony and co-existence. We will dedicate ourselves to maintain harmony among different ethnic groups.' [Full Story]

Sri Lanka Still Hunting for Its 'Disappeared'
[ The Diplomat ] [ 20 Dec 2018 20:04 GMT ]

The investigation into these disappearances has exposed the culture of impunity that persists in Sri Lanka. [Full Story]

Their Husbands Casualties of War, Jaffna Women Fish for Their Families
[ Global Press Journal ] [ 19 Dec 2018 00:45 GMT ]

Since the end of the nearly 26-year civil war, new data shows a growing number of female-led households here. According to 2016 government data, 21 percent of households in the Jaffna district are headed by women. [Full Story]

Bad for business: Sri Lanka's political crisis sees work travellers bypass tourism
[ South China Morning Post ] [ 18 Dec 2018 02:52 GMT ]

Sri Lanka has been rocked in recent months by mass protests, brawls in parliament. [Full Story]

Trincomalee's Foremost Stapathi Sculpts Deities To Life
[ Roarmedia ] [ 17 Dec 2018 20:22 GMT ]

Sculptors are always welcome. Especially sculptors whose work is inimitable, and who create each piece by hand, from scratch. [Full Story]

Ranil Wickremesinghe: Sri Lanka reinstates ousted prime minister
[ BBC ] [ 16 Dec 2018 16:10 GMT ]

The crisis, which has provoked brawls in parliament and sparked large protests, has been closely watched by regional power India, as well as the US, China and the European Union. [Full Story]

Editorial - End Sri Lanka's crisis
[ The Hindu ] [ 15 Dec 2018 02:14 GMT ]

The President's credibility has taken yet another beating after the Supreme Court ruled categorically that his dissolution of Parliament on November 9 was illegal and void. [Full Story]

Court rules against Sri Lanka president, impeachment edges closer
[ France24 ] [ 14 Dec 2018 04:55 GMT ]

Sri Lanka's Supreme Court opened the way for potential impeachment proceedings against the president on Thursday [Full Story]

Ananda Coomaraswamy And His Century-Long Legacy
[ Roarmedia ] [ 13 Dec 2018 23:35 GMT ]

A prolific writer, Coomaraswamy studied and contributed to a variety of subjects: geology, visual arts, aesthetics, literature, folklore, mythology, religion, and metaphysics. [Full Story]

India elections: Should Narendra Modi be worried?
[ BBC ] [ 12 Dec 2018 01:09 GMT ]

What remains abundantly clear is that the 2019 general elections will be a referendum on Mr Modi. [Full Story]

A Hotline for the Broken-Hearted and the Poison-in-Hand
[ The New York Times ] [ 11 Dec 2018 22:09 GMT ]

Some voices are rushed, others struggle for words to talk about what is hurting them: Relationship troubles and war trauma, loneliness and financial stress. [Full Story]

Indian workers face slave-like conditions in Sri Lanka
[ WSWS ] [ 10 Dec 2018 00:41 GMT ]

The terrible conditions faced by these young workers are typical of those facing millions of workers in the land-locked north-east of India and most of the Indian subcontinent. [Full Story]

Constitutional crisis over who's Sri Lanka's PM deepens, India & China poised to swoop in
[ Qrius ] [ 09 Dec 2018 02:15 GMT ]

Despite linguistic and cultural similarities, India's strategic relations with Colombo have been anything but amicable. [Full Story]

Army commander warns Tamils - roadside camps will return if 'peace' disturbed
[ Tamil Guardian ] [ 08 Dec 2018 02:33 GMT ]

'Our expectation is that Tamils living in Jaffna live with love.' [Full Story]

Colombo's perceptions
[ The Hindu ] [ 07 Dec 2018 00:55 GMT ]

India encounters a range of reactions in Sri Lanka: appreciation, support, suspicion and opposition. [Full Story]

How Sri Lankans Are Resisting Rajapaksa's Soft Coup Attempt
[ The Diplomat ] [ 06 Dec 2018 22:52 GMT ]

On December 3, Rajapaksa took another major hit when a court issued an interim order preventing him from functioning as prime minister. [Full Story]

Sri Lanka: South Asia Human Rights Festival in Colombo
[ Amnesty International ] [ 05 Dec 2018 21:45 GMT ]

Art for Rights celebrates the work of South Asian artists and human rights defenders as the world marks the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. [Full Story]

After War's End, a Long Struggle to Patch Invisible Wounds
[ The New York Times ] [ 04 Dec 2018 20:06 GMT ]

Many of the fundamental inequalities and ethnic divisions that led to Sri Lanka's civil war remain. [Full Story]

Fishing provides lifeline for abandoned women
[ BBC ] [ 03 Dec 2018 00:17 GMT ]

One in 10 women in this village have been deserted by their husbands. [Full Story]

Many Kinds of Guilt
[ India Today ] [ 02 Dec 2018 03:26 GMT ]

Can you still see your own life as one full of happiness even after all these traumatic events?' [Full Story]

Sri Lanka: The government cannot afford to fail the Office on Missing Persons
[ Amnesty International ] [ 01 Dec 2018 00:19 GMT ]

The appointments appear to have been more an exercise in political expediency than a genuine effort to bolster the OMP's work - and provide answers to the families of the disappeared. [Full Story]

Sri Lanka agrees port deals with China amid political chaos
[ Reuters ] [ 30 Nov 2018 01:02 GMT ]

New Delhi had been pushing Sri Lanka for the award of an estimated $1 billion contract for a second foreign-operated container terminal in Colombo. [Full Story]

Sri Lanka defence chief held over murders
[ BBC ] [ 29 Nov 2018 00:14 GMT ]

Tens of thousands of Tamils were killed at the end of the conflict. [Full Story]

Tamil Political Activism: Sri Lanka's Way Out of the Crisis?
[ The Globe Post ] [ 28 Nov 2018 01:15 GMT ]

Since 2015, the Tamil population has displayed an increased level of civil activism, from women's marches to commemoration ceremonies over fallen victims, to more overt protests. [Full Story]

Tamils hold provocative remembrance services for fallen Tiger fighters
[ Channel 4 ] [ 27 Nov 2018 20:02 GMT ]

Despite international outrage over alleged atrocities committed by Sri Lankan armed forces, there has been little progress towards accountability. [Full Story]

The Constitution, the Judiciary, and Citizens
[ Groundviews ] [ 26 Nov 2018 23:56 GMT ]

Citizens of Sri Lanka have a right to hope and pray that their judges, in this moment in which their democratic destiny is at the crossroads, will make the right decision. [Full Story]

Sri Lanka: Stepping Back from a Constitutional Crisis
[ International Crisis Group ] [ 25 Nov 2018 01:42 GMT ]

Tamils are already frustrated at the failure of the current government to deliver on its most important promises. [Full Story]

Another Season of Trouble in Sri Lanka
[ The New York Times ] [ 24 Nov 2018 03:35 GMT ]

A renewed power play by Mahinda Rajapaksa has reignited fears of majoritarianism and trouble for the minorities. [Full Story]

Tamils will be worst victims in Sri Lanka political crisis - TNA leader
[ Tamil Guardian ] [ 23 Nov 2018 03:42 GMT ]

The turmoil had seriously impaired 'ongoing efforts' for a political solution through constitutional reform, Sampanthan said. [Full Story]

Sri Lanka mass graves: 230 skeletons found at country's largest site
[ BBC ] [ 22 Nov 2018 22:05 GMT ]

A number of mass graves have been unearthed in Sri Lanka's former war zone since the conflict ended. [Full Story]

Jaffna, Sri Lanka: Kantharodai
[ Atlas Obscura ] [ 21 Nov 2018 14:11 GMT ]

Coins from the Roman Empire and ancient Chinese Dynasties have been found nearby. [Full Story]

Sri Lanka: Don't impede ongoing investigations
[ Amnesty International ] [ 20 Nov 2018 12:52 GMT ]

The authorities must ensure that ongoing criminal investigations into these cases are not impeded on any grounds whatsoever. [Full Story]

Fiasco in Paradise and a return to flagrant illegality and political gerrymandering!
[ TWG Editorial ] [ 19 Nov 2018 02:06 GMT ]

Given the abject failure over the last 70 years of the majority Sinhalese political parties to ensure the rights of the Sri Lankan minority communities, then it's incumbent on the international community to seek an immediate restoration of that clause in a revised constitution. [Full Story]

Will Sri Lanka's New Government Provide Accountability for Civil War Atrocities?
[ Justice Info ] [ 18 Nov 2018 7:15 GMT ]

The UNHRC resolution calls for the participation of international experts in Sri Lanka's transitional justice process. [Full Story]

Bringing Rajapaksa back to power would be ruin of Sri Lanka
[ The Guardian UK ] [ 17 Nov 2018 21:05 GMT ]

Torture risk means UK Home Office asylum policy needs urgent review. [Full Story]

Brawl in Parliament Shows Sri Lanka Descending Into Chaos
[ Bloomberg ] [ 16 Nov 2018 11:52 GMT ]

The move to fire the prime minister and unilaterally appoint Rajapaksa, who ruled between 2005 and 2015 but was criticized for human rights abuses and corruption, [Full Story]

Fists. A Flying Garbage Can. And Maybe, at Last, Negotiations in Sri Lanka
[ The New York Times ] [ 15 Nov 2018 20:25 GMT ]

Western ambassadors have asked all sides to work out a political settlement in line with Sri Lankan law. [Full Story]

Sri Lanka's President Finally Checked: Court Rules to Bring Back Parliament
[ The New York Times ] [ 14 Nov 2018 01:47 GMT ]

The president had strayed so far from the law that his decision to dissolve Parliament could signal the end of constitutional rule in Sri Lanka. [Full Story]

Sri Lanka's supreme court suspends president's decision to dissolve parliament
[ The Guardian UK ] [ 13 Nov 2018 18:57 GMT ]

MA Sumanthiran, a Tamil MP, said the judgment was 'the most important order the supreme court has delivered in its entire history'. [Full Story]

Sri Lanka -- democracy in danger
[ Nikkei ] [ 12 Nov 2018 15:55 GMT ]

The current crisis, however, should not obscure the country's fundamental challenges in relation to ethnic reconciliation, human rights, justice and economic stability. [Full Story]

World War One: Six extraordinary Indian stories
[ BBC ] [ 11 Nov 2018 11:00 GMT ]

It's 100 years since the armistice of 11 November 1918 ended what was once called 'the war to end all wars'. [Full Story]

Mahinda Rajapaksa: Return of Sri Lanka's wartime strongman
[ BBC ] [ 10 Nov 2018 02:58 GMT ]

The UN's human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said it laid bare grave crimes committed by both sides, including indiscriminate shelling, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, harrowing accounts of torture and sexual violence, and the forced recruitment of children. [Full Story]

Sri Lanka's President Sirisena moves to dissolve parliament
[ BBC ] [ 10 Nov 2018 02:55 GMT ]

Many in Sri Lanka are now worried about the fate of corruption cases targeting members of the Rajapaksa family, along with investigations into the murders of journalists and others. [Full Story]

The old-world charm of India's photo studios
[ BBC ] [ 09 Nov 2018 01:34 GMT ]

The images range from shots of inanimate objects - props and backdrops - to intimate portraits of the studio's customers. [Full Story]

Sri Lanka situation update - A failing coup?
[ Sri Lanka Campaign ] [ 08 Nov 2018 23:02 GMT ]

We are particularly concerned by recent reports that Sri Lanka's President may seek to break through the current impasse by dissolving Parliament. [Full Story]

Our impact, their voices: Sri Lankan women making waves in local industry
[ International Labour Organization ] [ 07 Nov 2018 01:03 GMT ]

A group of women-headed households have gained social and economic power. [Full Story]

What Sri Lanka's political crisis means for India and China
[ CNN ] [ 06 Nov 2018 01:59 GMT ]

'The Chinese are now and will be permanently involved economically in these countries. Because they have the financial power.' [Full Story]

Impunity Island: Sri Lanka's 'predator emeritus' on rebound
[ JDS ] [ 05 Nov 2018 09:15 GMT ]

The ongoing murder investigation has led to the arrest of military intelligence officers and police officers. They, in turn, have pointed out that Gotabaya Rajapaksa had been giving the orders. [Full Story]

Sri Lanka crisis: House of Cards in the Indian Ocean
[ BBC ] [ 04 Nov 2018 22:43 GMT ]

The EU has already threatened to stop Sri Lanka's lucrative duty-free trade access to the world's biggest single market if it rows back on commitments to human rights and reconciliation. [Full Story]

Ethnic Tamil party pledges vote against Sri Lankan strongman
[ Washington Post ] [ 03 Nov 2018 19:09 GMT ]

TNA represents ethnic Tamils for whom the now-defeated Tamil Tiger rebels fought for an independent state. [Full Story]

This complex novel examines how women negotiate their lives during and after conflicts like war
[ Scroll.in ] [ 02 Nov 2018 23:45 GMT ]

The story of what the war did and is doing to the women of the land needs to be told. [Full Story]

Back to the bad old days: Sri Lanka's president installs his arch-enemy as prime minister
[ The Economist ] [ 01 Nov 2018 20:50 GMT ]

'We thought we were getting a Mandela as president. Instead we got a Mugabe.' [Full Story]

Sri Lankan political crisis threatens media independence
[ Reporters Without Borders ] [ 31 Oct 2018 18:38 GMT ]

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) urges the Sri Lankan authorities to respect journalists' safety and editorial independence. [Full Story]

Sri Lanka crisis: Fears of a 'bloodbath' in power struggle
[ BBC ] [ 30 Oct 2018 00:04 GMT ]

Regional rivals are also watching events closely - China has already congratulated Mr Rajapaksa, while India, the EU and US have called for the constitution to be respected. [Full Story]

Sri Lanka: Human rights must not become a casualty of political crisis
[ Amnesty International ] [ 29 Oct 2018 02:14 GMT ]

People should be allowed to exercise their rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association.' [Full Story]

Sri Lanka's Tamils are at imminent risk after Rajapaksa's return
[ Aljazeera ] [ 28 Oct 2018 00:25 GMT ]

Following the former president's return to power, international community needs to take urgent action to protect Tamils. [Full Story]

Sri Lanka: Political Turmoil Puts Rights At Risk
[ Human Rights Watch ] [ 27 Oct 2018 18:55 GMT ]

'Rajapaksa's return to high office without any justice for past crimes raises chilling concerns for human rights in Sri Lanka,' said Brad Adams, Asia director. [Full Story]

PM's 'sacking' leaves Sri Lanka in turmoil
[ BBC ] [ 26 Oct 2018 18:49 GMT ]

Sri Lanka's President Maithripala Sirisena has named his predecessor, Mahinda Rajapaksa, as the country's new prime minister after the collapse of the governing coalition. [Full Story]

Letter to Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe of Sri Lanka
[ Human Rights Watch ] [ 25 Oct 2018 02:23 GMT ]

Human Rights Watch has monitored human rights in Sri Lanka for three decades. [Full Story]

Dhanushkodi: Why You Must Visit The Deserted Ghost Town in Tamil Nadu
[ India ] [ 24 Oct 2018 12:46 GMT ]

It's a town where there's beauty and destruction equal measure. A great place to discover for the discerning traveller. [Full Story]

TAMIL WRITERS GUILD - 14th ANNIVERSARY FUND RAISING EVENT
[ TWG ] [ 23 Oct 2018 02:21 GMT ]

We are delighted to invite you to the Tamil Writers Guild's (TWG) CJT Thamotheram Memorial lecture and fund-raising event which will take place on Saturday 3rd November. [Full Story]

Sri Lanka: Amend Counterterrorism Bill
[ Human Rights Watch ] [ 22 Oct 2018 01:15 GMT ]

The Attorney General's Office should review all PTA prosecutions that are tainted by credible evidence of torture or other abuse and provide redress for violations. [Full Story]

Murdered journalist Nimalarajan remembered in Jaffna
[ Tamil Guardian ] [ 21 Oct 2018 00:05 GMT ]

Nimalarajan, a senior journalist who contributed to the BBC Tamil and Sinhala services, the Tamil daily Virakesari and Sinhala weekly Ravaya, was murdered on October 19th 2000. [Full Story]

China's foray into North SL stalled; India relieved
[ Deccan Herald ] [ 20 Oct 2018 07:55 GMT ]

Sri Lanka has stalled China's bid to spread its tentacles into the island nation's war-ravaged Tamil-majority Northern Province. [Full Story]

UN sends Sri Lanka peacekeeping commander home over alleged atrocities
[ Dhaka Tribune ] [ 19 Oct 2018 23:56 GMT ]

The International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP), a South Africa-based non-governmental organization that documents mass atrocities from Sri Lanka's war, in April sent to the United Nations a list of 56 Sri Lankans who should be barred from peacekeeping. [Full Story]

The Struggle for Justice
[ GroundViews ] [ 18 Oct 2018 22:44 GMT ]

The real indicator of learning about human rights will be from what you do to prevent violations, fight against them, and support the struggles of survivors, victim families and affected communities. [Full Story]

The 'Neo-Cold War' in the Indian Ocean Region
[ Modern Diplomacy ] [ 17 Oct 2018 01:32 GMT ]

In a recent essay, an Indian commentator Brahma Chellaney wrote that the fusion of China's economic and military interests 'risk turning Sri Lanka into India's Cuba'. [Full Story]

Tamils in Re Union: Losing Cultural Identity
[ SL Guardian ] [ 16 Oct 2018 02:38 GMT ]

The Government of India should persuade the Government of France to declare Deepavali, Pongal and Tamil New Year as national holidays in Reunion. [Full Story]

The Failed Promise of Reconciliation in Sri Lanka
[ Tamil Guardian ] [ 15 Oct 2018 01:14 GMT ]

'Nearly 10 years after the end of the conflict, reconciliation and a sustainable peace are far off. [Full Story]

Sri Lanka, the land of the disappeared? - a photo essay?
[ The Guardian UK ] [ 14 Oct 2018 00:16 GMT ]

It is nearly a decade since the civil war in Sri Lanka ended, but for many families the long struggle will never be over. [Full Story]

Sri Lanka: Government Slow to Return Land
[ Human Rights Watch ] [ 13 Oct 2018 01:08 GMT ]

The government has adopted an arbitrary, piecemeal approach to land returns, which is fomenting deep distrust among communities wary that the military is still in charge,' Ganguly said. [Full Story]

Sri Lanka: Letter to Sri Lankan Prime Minister: Office for Reparations Bill
[ Amnesty International ] [ 12 Oct 2018 01:40 GMT ]

In light of the second reading of the Bill in Parliament on 9 October 2018, Amnesty International wishes to make this letter public. [Full Story]

New law to compensate war victims in Sri Lanka
[ The Hindu ] [ 11 Oct 2018 02:35 GMT ]

The office will decide on potentially tens of thousands of compensation claims from those afflicted by fighting. [Full Story]

REPORT: 'Why Can't We Go Home?' - Military Occupation of Land in Sri Lanka
[ Human Rights Watch ] [ 10 Oct 2018 02:46 GMT ]

Military occupation of land is among the primary contributors to continuing displacement: according to the government, as of 2017, nearly 40,000 people remained internally displaced in the country, a majority from Jaffna. [Full Report]

Senior US State Dept official to urge progress on transitional justice and accountability in Sri Lanka
[ Tamil Guardian ] [ 09 Oct 2018 01:37 GMT ]

Alice Wells, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, will travel to Sri Lanka and the Maldives this week. [Full Story]

Sri Lanka arrests MP for hailing defeated Tamil rebels
[ Straits Times ] [ 08 Oct 2018 20:02 GMT ]

Ms Maheswaran, who represents Jaffna, the capital of the country's minority Tamils, said there was less violence against women and children in areas controlled by the Tigers before they were crushed in May 2009. [Full Story]

Sri Lanka war monuments signal 'complete Sinhalese takeover of the Tamil land'
[ JDS ] [ 07 Oct 2018 23:57 GMT ]

Victory war monuments installed throughout the north and east of Sri Lanka sends a strong message of complete Sinhalese takeover of the Tamil land. [Full Story]

Sri Lankan Prez sets Dec 31 deadline to release all military occupied land in North and East
[ United News of India ] [ 06 Oct 2018 02:35 GMT ]

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) urged that in order to achieve reconciliation and national integration, all lands belonging to the people which are now in the possession of the armed forces should be released without any further delay. [Full Story]

Thinking of visiting Sri Lanka but concerned about human rights? We're here to help
[ Sri Lanka Campaign ] [ 05 Oct 2018 03:55 GMT ]

Unaware traveller's run a real risk of not only assisting individuals who should be brought to justice, but also of undermining the prospects of lasting peace in Sri Lanka. [Full Story]

The avid watchers of India's old school travelling cinemas
[ BBC ] [ 04 Oct 2018 12:07 GMT ]

Often travelling as a part of religious and entertainment fairs, they bring the big screen magic to millions. [Full Story]

Sri Lanka - Post-war justice in Sri Lanka inches forward
[ The Interpreter - Lowy Institute ] [ 03 Oct 2018 16:51 GMT ]

The political will to implement a broad transitional justice agenda simply doesn't exist in present-day Sri Lanka. [Full Story]

Prehistoric art hints at lost Indian civilisation
[ BBC ] [ 02 Oct 2018 01:44 GMT ]

The sheer variety of the rock carvings have stunned experts - animals, birds, human figures and geometrical designs are all depicted. [Full Story]

The lost empire explored: The Cholas once had great power, but the world has forgotten them
[ The Independent ] [ 01 Oct 2018 00:05 GMT ]

Deep in the south of India lie the spectacular remains of one of the world's most remarkable and most forgotten civilisations. [Full Story]

Sri Lanka's police chief pulls out of controversial visit
[ The Scotsman ] [ 30 Sep 2018 02:01 GMT ]

Sri Lanka's Tamil minority has long accused police there of using torture to crush its independence movement. [Full Story]

War 'bombshell' backfires on Sri Lanka President
[ AFP ] [ 29 Sep 2018 02:52 GMT ]

While addressing the UN general assembly, Sirisena had asked the world body to leave his country alone to address accountability issues arising from the alleged atrocities in the final months of the war. [Full Story]

Editorial: Veering backwards
[ Tamil Guardian ] [ 28 Sep 2018 20:33 GMT ]

The international community's premature leap into overt engagement has failed to produce sufficient action, and more dangerously, it signals that Sri Lanka's culture of impunity can continue unbridled, with no material consequences internationally. [Full Story]

How war remembers women and their sacrifice
[ Livemint ] [ 27 Sep 2018 23:49 GMT ]

The story of Devanayaki ranges over Kerala and Tamil Nadu, deep into Ceylon, and even as far as Cambodia and Indonesia: it draws on the vast and gorgeous expanse of Sangam-era imagination. [Full Story]

Nothing has been resolved under coalition government - TNA
[ Tamil Guardian ] [ 26 Sep 2018 02:45 GMT ]

'Everything that should have been resolved has not been resolved,' Sampanthan said. [Full Story]

Viewpoint: What India's first newspaper says about democracy
[ BBC ] [ 25 Sep 2018 04:22 GMT ]

Now we have democratically elected politicians who wield social media in the same way, using it to degrade the value of a free press and pit citizens against each other. [Full Story]

Losing Santhia, part three: exodus from Jaffna, war in the Vanni
[ Red Flag ] [ 24 Sep 2018 01:12 GMT ]

A colossal exodus of half a million people, a human flood amid monsoon rains, moved through choke points across the Uppu Aru lagoon and, later, across the Jaffna lagoon. [Full Story]

Sri Lanka Tea Pickers: The Dangers And Hardships Laborers Go Through
[ Businesstimes ] [ 23 Sep 2018 02:49 GMT ]

Tamil tea pickers only earn 500 Sri Lankan rupees or about HK$23 a day for 10 hours of 'back-breaking work.' [Full Story]

Sri Lanka will not permit Airports Authority of India to develop or operate Palaly Airport
[ CAPA - Centre for Aviation ] [ 22 Sep 2018 03:22 GMT ]

Membership provides full access to Analysis Reports, in-depth Research Publications. [Full Story]

Transitional justice Efforts in Sri Lanka Fall Short
[ Human Rights Watch ] [ 21 Sep 2018 02:00 GMT ]

To give the Sri Lankan government a further chance to make real progress, the council should insist upon clear, time-bound benchmarks and a monitoring framework. The victims of abuses await justice. [Full Story]

Sri Lanka: Human rights to dismantle debt trap, says UN expert
[ UN Human Rights ] [ 20 Sep 2018 00:07 GMT ]

Human rights must be at the centre of measures by Sri Lanka to promote economic growth that would include everyone, says a UN expert. [Full Story]

At last, Delhi asks Rajapaksa for a dance
[ Asian Age ] [ 19 Sep 2018 02:39 GMT ]

And with no LTTE, no separatist sentiment in Sri Lanka and a radically diminished role in New Delhi, shrillness across the Palk Strait in Tamil Nadu too has dwindled. [Full Story]

'Matangi/Maya/MIA' - celebrating the many facets of a truly singular artist
[ The Big Issue ] [ 18 Sep 2018 20:51 GMT ]

Shocking account of the abuses suffered by the Tamils leaves you in little doubt about the urgency and conviction behind Maya's advocacy. [Full Story]

NPC to intensify efforts against Sinhalisation of North
[ Tamil Guardian ] [ 17 Sep 2018 02:09 GMT ]

At this time when we are all expecting a political solution for the Tamil people, our view that these colonies that threaten our very existence must be stopped. [Full Story]

War Crimes in Sri Lanka: Stain or slander?
[ Ground Views ] [ 16 Sep 2018 03:40 GMT ]

If the cancer of state violence is not cut from the body of the nation, it may once again give rise to violent resistance. [Full Story]

Shielding suspects, killing hopes of justice
[ The Hindu ] [ 15 Sep 2018 09:55 GMT ]

Recent events have come at a time when the government's slow-paced efforts on reconciliation and a new Constitution are eroding the optimism of the Tamils. [Full Story]

Sri Lanka seeks UN reprieve over war crimes probe
[ Daily Mail UK ] [ 14 Sep 2018 14:02 GMT ]

Sri Lanka's president said Friday that he wants the United Nations to drop its demand for state accountability over the alleged killing of some 40,000 Tamil civilians by government forces during a brutal civil war. [Full Story]

Caritas helps Sri Lankan war victims stand alone
[ La Croix International ] [ 13 Sep 2018 23:57 GMT ]

Sakthivel, a Hindu, appreciates the invaluable assistance rendered by Caritas, which is celebrating 50 years of service in Sri Lanka. "They made a difference to my whole life," [Full Story]

Marie Colvin: Reporter's last days retold for cinema
[ BBC ] [ 12 Sep 2018 15:09 GMT ]

But do I regret going in and trying to do our job? Absolutely not. [Full Story]

No sign of the missing from Sri Lanka's war
[ BBC ] [ 11 Sep 2018 01:24 GMT ]

Sri Lanka's war monument in Kilinochchi is a reminder of their humiliation for many Tamils. [Full Story]

Staring at an uncertain future
[ The Hindu ] [ 10 Sep 2018 23:10 GMT ]

Experts familiar with the case say that the possibilities of 'local assimilation' and 'third country resettlement' exist in respect of the four. [Full Story]

Skeletons bring back painful memories in Sri Lanka
[ La Croix International ] [ 09 Sep 2018 23:55 GMT ]

'I've contacted the Human Rights Commission, the International Red Cross and the U.N. office here to petition them to investigate what happened to him, but no one ever replied. [Full Story]

In photos: Sri Lanka's humanitarian crisis
[ The Independent UK ] [ 08 Sep 2018 02:11 GMT ]

Beneath the veneer of Sri Lanka's beauty, is the legacy of a brutal past that still haunts many of its people today. [Full Story]

Arwi, the Arabic-influenced dialect of Tamil, struggles for survival in India
[ Al Arabiya ] [ 07 Sep 2018 03:22 GMT ]

Evolved as a result of the interactions between Arabs and Tamils in medieval times, Arwi or Arabu-Tamil is an Arabic influenced dialect of Tamil written with an extension of the Arabic alphabet. [Full Story]

Sri Lanka watchdog seeks tough action over war missing
[ France24 ] [ 06 Sep 2018 17:09 GMT ]

The UN Human Rights Council has said Sri Lanka's efforts at transitional justice are at a "virtual standstill" nearly a decade after the end of the civil war. [Full Story]

THE OFFICE ON MISSING PERSONS - INTERIM REPORT 2018
[ Sri Lanka - The Office on Missing Persons ] [ 05 Sep 2018 03:52 GMT ]

The failure of successive state institutions to provide families with truth, justice and reparations has created a deep distrust of the State and by extension the OMP. [Full Story]

Sri Lanka: Locals push back bid to erect Buddha statue in Tamil area
[ JDS ] [ 04 Sep 2018 23:55 GMT ]

Tamil villagers and politicians succeeded in stopping a state assisted group led by a Buddhist monk who tried to put up a Buddha statue in the Hindu majority Mullaitivu district. [Full Story]

Parting UN Human Rights Chief - displaced Tamils continue to live in 'deplorable conditions'
[ Tamil Guardian ] [ 03 Sep 2018 00:49 GMT ]

The parting UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein highlighted the ongoing anguish of Tamils. [Full Story]

Japan Is Trying To Catch Up With China In Sri Lanka
[ Forbes ] [ 02 Sep 2018 01:43 GMT ]

The Indian Ocean has long been a strategic waterway, facilitating trade between the Middle East and Africa, as well as Africa and Asia. [Full Story]

Nauru refugees: The island where children have given up on life
[ BBC ] [ 01 Sep 2018 19:31 GMT ]

'The government is more concerned with their policy of keeping this cohort of people seeking asylum off Australia than they are with their health.' [Full Story]

Tea workers still fighting for land rights in Sri Lanka
[ UCANews ] [ 31 Aug 2018 01:14 GMT ]

Tea plantation worker Loganathan Saraswathy has been fighting for her rights and living in slave-like conditions for years, a common problem in Sri Lanka over a century and a half after the estates were set up. [Full Story]

Why Australia is talking about a French au pair
[ BBC ] [ 30 Aug 2018 21:57 GMT ]

It has also ignited allegations of double-standards on visa issues: among those angered are supporters of a Tamil family involved in a high-profile effort to stay in Australia. [Full Story]

Political Confrontation will not Solve Humanitarian Issues
[ Sangam ] [ 29 Aug 2018 01:40 GMT ]

He said as far as strengthening peace and reconciliation, apart from depending on politicians all right-thinking people must engage themselves in the peace building process. [Full Story]

Sri Lanka mass grave: Dozens of skeletons found in Mannar
[ BBC ] [ 28 Aug 2018 02:22 GMT ]

But given the failure of the authorities to investigate the remains unearthed from previous mass graves, there is scepticism among Tamils over what the new inquiry might achieve. [Full Story]

Families Beg for Answers on the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances
[ Human Rights Watch ] [ 27 Aug 2018 10:30 GMT ]

Until their whereabouts are determined, families of the disappeared should have access to effective remedies and reparations, including regular updates on the status of the investigations. This cruelty needs to stop. [Full Story]

The key moments in John McCain's life
[ BBC ] [ 26 Aug 2018 08:57 GMT ]

He mounted an anti-establishment presidential campaign that presaged the anger and longing for authenticity that would later sweep through US politics. [Full Story]

A (Tamil) Reading of Albert Camus' The Plague
[ Sangam ] [ 25 Aug 2018 01:15 GMT ]

Tamils face the most dire situation ever in their long history on the Island, one which threatens their very survival as a people. [Full Story]

The Agony and Ecstasy of a Pogrom: July 1983
[ Groundviews ] [ 24 Aug 2018 00:33 GMT ]

Survivors, victims, those grieving the bereaved, those grieving the loss of their worldly possessions, these are, as one knows, the flotsam and jetsam of war and pogrom. [Full Story]

Yazidi Genocide, the Urgent Need for Prosecution
[ International Policy Digest ] [ 23 Aug 2018 02:31 GMT ]

As someone who comes from a genocide victim community and seeking justice for the 146,679 unaccounted Tamils, I understand the pain and agony of the Yazidis over the past many centuries. [Full Story]

The tempest in your tea cup
[ Himal Southasian ] [ 22 Aug 2018 00:01 GMT ]

Seven decades after Independence, the past and present-day contribution of Sri Lanka's Indian-origin Tamil in building and sustaining an industry, remains unacknowledged and inadequately recompensed. [Full Story]

Toronto Tamil community raising funds for UTSC chair in Tamil Studies
[ The Varsity ] [ 21 Aug 2018 00:55 GMT ]

The money that is being raised will set up a permanent endowment fund for the chair of Tamil Studies at U of T, who would have a focus on studying ancient to modern Tamil literature. [Full Story]

'Vedigundu Pasangge' highest-grossing Tamil movie in Malaysia
[ Malaymail ] [ 20 Aug 2018 02:24 GMT ]

The film features a cast of 150, including local and Indian talents [Full Story]

Kofi Annan, former UN chief, dies at 80
[ BBC ] [ 19 Aug 2018 00:01 GMT ]

Annan served two terms as UN chief from 1997 to 2006, and was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize for his humanitarian work. [Full Story]

Thousands stranded in south India floods
[ BBC ] [ 18 Aug 2018 14:11 GMT ]

Nearly 1,000 people have died in total since India's rainy season began in June. [Full Story]

India mourns former PM Atal Behari Vajpayee
[ BBC ] [ 17 Aug 2018 08:55 GMT ]

First elected to parliament in 1957, Atal Behari Vajpayee was widely considered a giant of Indian politics. [Full Story]

Diasporas as a force in foreign affairs: the case of Tamils in Britain and Canada
[ The London School of Economics ] [ 16 Aug 2018 23:40 GMT ]

He looks at two major decisions facing Canada and the UK toward Sri Lanka, and explains how pressure from the Tamil diaspora affected how each government decided to respond to events. [Full Story]

Family resettlement and peacebuilding in Sri Lanka boosted by £1 million
[ UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office ] [ 15 Aug 2018 00:48 GMT ]

UK funding will help nearly 600 families in the Jaffna, Killinochchi, Mullaithivu and Batticaloa districts of Sri Lanka. [Full Story]

Sri Lanka church bombing not forgotten by survivors
[ UCAN ] [ 14 Aug 2018 01:39 GMT ]

Some 147 people were killed and 400 wounded in the incident that occurred at the height of the island nation's civil war. [Full Story]

Indra Nooyi to step down as PepsiCo chief executive
[ BBC ] [ 13 Aug 2018 02:10 GMT ]

The fact that a woman born in the southern city of Chennai, or Madras reached the helm of one of the world's largest companies, is evidence that the American dream is real. [Full Story]

Post Amma and Ayya: The new Tamil Nadu potboiler
[ Livemint ] [ 12 Aug 2018 03:55 GMT ]

The power centre of Tamil Nadu is up for grabs after the death of M Karunanidhi. [Full Story]

Michelle Bachelet of Chile Nominated to Be Next UN Rights Commissioner
[ PassBlue ] [ 11 Aug 2018 01:38 GMT ]

The nomination has been sent to the General Assembly for approval. [Full Story]

Deep Impact: Emmerson's Report Reveals Lasting Legacy of PTA
[ GV ] [ 10 Aug 2018 00:56 GMT ]

Legislation like the PTA must be placed in the context of ongoing stigmatisation against the Tamil community, including underrepresentation at an institutional level, Emmerson noted in his report. [Full Story]

In Sri Lanka, Bosnian-style Ethnic Separation is Way Forward for Peace Need Help from US, EU and India
[ Menafn ] [ 09 Aug 2018 03:20 GMT ]

If Sri Lanka declines to acknowledge compromise for Bosnian-style ethnic separation, partition will be the defaulted answer for Tamils. [Full Story]

Karunanidhi death: 'The world of Tamils has lost its leader'
[ The Hindu ] [ 08 Aug 2018 18:25 GMT ]

R. Sampanthan said: The passing of the leader who, 'as a rising sun, lit up lives of Tamils all over the world,' is a great, irreparable loss. [Full Story]

M Karunanidhi: The radical wordsmith who shook up Indian politics
[ BBC ] [ 08 Aug 2018 01:01 GMT ]

He was a wordsmith beyond compare. So his wit and clever puns gave him a Wilde-like literary charm unmatched in Tamil politics. [Full Story]

M Karunanidhi: Veteran Indian politician dies at 94
[ BBC ] [ 07 Aug 2018 16:46 GMT ]

A prolific writer and a fiery speaker known for his wit and oratory, he enjoyed god-like status among his supporters. [Full Story]

Microsoft introduces Tamil 99 keyboard on Windows 10
[ Gadgets Now ] [ 07 Aug 2018 00:15 GMT ]

It is now available on Windows 10, thereby assisting the wide base of Tamil users in India and other countries such as Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa and Mauritius. [Full Story]

Former Tamil rebels still paying price of war
[ La Croix International ] [ 06 Aug 2018 03:49 GMT ]

"Common problems they face include scant job opportunities, a severe inferiority complex, psychological disempowerment and a general lack of motivation. [Full Story]

Twelve years on, no justice for massacre of ACF workers
[ Tamil Guardian ] [ 05 Aug 2018 01:12 GMT ]

On August 4th 2006, Sri Lankan troops lined up and summarily executed 17 aid workers with the French NGO Action Contre la Faim (ACF) in Muttur. [Full Story]

Sri Lanka's 'new Dubai': will Chinese-built city suck the life out of Colombo?
[ The Guardian UK ] [ 04 Aug 2018 00:19 GMT ]

The loans are part of a wave of Chinese investment in south Asia that has been described as “the biggest game changer in 100 years†[Full Story]

How Women Led a Peaceful Flotilla to Reclaim Their Island From the Sri Lankan Navy
[ Mintpress News ] [ 03 Aug 2018 00:15 GMT ]

A group of women from the community had developed and implemented a nonviolent strategy that closely resembles techniques implemented by professional civilian peacekeepers in conflict zones. [Full Story]

Sri Lanka failing on human rights
[ LOWY INTERPRETER ] [ 02 Aug 2018 02:25 GMT ]

Sri Lanka's ethnic tensions remain predictably grim nearly a decade since the end of the country's brutal 26-year civil war. [Full Story]

US to back Lanka Tamils on UN human rights resolutions
[ The New Indian Express ] [ 01 Aug 2018 01:08 GMT ]

Since its withdrawal, doubts have been raised about the resolutions which held Sri Lanka accountable for alleged human rights abuses committed. [Full Story]

Losing Santhia - Part Two
[ Red Flag ] [ 31 Jul 2018 00:41 GMT ]

Santhia's life was extraordinary yet common; her fate bound to the decades-long national liberation struggle of the Tamils. [Full Story]

Saving Beloved Motherland! A Message to the Tamil Students World Over
[ TWG Editorial ] [ 30 Jul 2018 14:53 GMT ]

The disenfranchised and dispersed Jewish community kept their spirit of returning to their homeland for over 2000 years before they were united again in their ancestral land. [Full Story]

UK: Ian Paisley suspension exposes efforts to assist cover-up of Sri Lankan bloodbath
[ World Socialist Web Site ] [ 29 Jul 2018 01:10 GMT ]

Paisley was only one of several British parliamentarians apparently junketed during and after the final phases of the civil war. [Full Story]

UN confirms that torture is 'routine' and 'systematic' in Sri Lanka
[ Green Left ] [ 28 Jul 2018 00:35 GMT ]

The Tamil Refugee Council has again called on the Australian government to end the deportation of Tamil asylum seekers to Sri Lanka. [Full Story]

Who is M.I.A? A new documentary looks at the rise of the British-Tamil rapper
[ Scroll.in ] [ 27 Jul 2018 02:00 GMT ]

Directed by Steve Loveridge, the documentary will be released on September 28 in the United States of America. [Full Story]

Sri Lanka seeks to leave behind horrors of Black July 1983 but Tamil community still struggles to get their legitimate rights
[ First Post ] [ 26 Jul 2018 02:42 GMT ]

Even today we continue to be polarised, and continue to be manipulated by the politicians who take pride in pitting the majority community against one or the other minority community.' [Full Story]

Sri Lanka - Report of the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights while countering terrorism
[ UN Human Rights Council ] [ 25 Jul 2018 02:33 GMT ]

None of the measures so far adopted to fulfil Sri Lanka's transitional justice commitments are adequate to ensure real progress. [Full report]

Christians join Tamil mothers who have been protesting for 500 days over their missing children
[ Asia News ] [ 24 Jul 2018 04:27 GMT ]

Two protests refocus attention on children and husbands who went missing during the civil war. [Full Story]

Black July: How A Bloody Massacre Set Off the Sri Lankan Civil War
[ The Quint ] [ 23 Jul 2018 23:28 GMT ]

The month of July is generally observed as Black July by the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora around the globe, in remembrance of the pogrom. [Full story]

Sri Lankan reform has 'ground to a halt' with torture used freely - UN
[ The Guardian UK ] [ 22 Jul 2018 23:54 GMT ]

'The Tamil community is stigmatised and feels disenfranchised, while the trust of many minority communities that the government is able to deal with all forms of nationalism equally, is eroding.' [Full story]

'Sri Lanka's Disappeared' documentary released online
[ Tamil Guardian ] [ 21 Jul 2018 23:59 GMT ]

A documentary filmed and produced by British Tamil students highlighting the struggle of Tamil families of the disappeared protesting across the North-East has been released online today. [Full story]

Sri Lanka remains UK 'Human Rights Priority Country'
[ Foreign and Commonwealth Office ] [ 20 Jul 2018 03:14 GMT ]

Particular concerns highlighted include attacks on minority communities and the slow delivery of key human rights and reconciliation commitments. [Full Report]

Lord Naseby's 2012 visit cost over Rs 1m
[ CT ] [ 19 Jul 2018 02:07 GMT ]

Reportedly Lord Naseby visited Sri Lanka 14 times between 2002 to 2017. [Full Story]

Ian Paisley could face byelection after breaking Commons rules
[ The Guardian UK ] [ 18 Jul 2018 19:55 GMT ]

The member is already facing a suspension from the House of Commons for 30 sitting days after becoming a “paid advocate†for the Sri Lankan government and failing to declare family holidays worth at least £50,000. [Full Story]

Summer potboiler: This Tamil classic is being compared to Game of Thrones
[ The Times of India ] [ 17 Jul 2018 00:24 GMT ]

A sprawling historical romance set in the Chola period, full of tongue-twisting names, quotations from classical Tamil poems, and asides on religion and history, Ponniyin Selvan is not your standard summer bestseller. [Full Story]

Sri Lanka's Chinese connection: beyond bribes and debts
[ Asia Times ] [ 16 Jul 2018 08:45 GMT ]

A military victory for one side without a political strategy to address the grievances of the Tamil people was unlikely to produce a lasting solution. [Full Story]

Ceat inks pact with Tamil Nadu for 4,000-crore greenfield tyre unit
[ BusinessLine ] [ 15 Jul 2018 01:55 GMT ]

With Ceat's proposed investments, Tamil Nadu houses manufacturing units of almost all major tyre makers in the country. [Full Story]

Sri Lanka: excavations at mass grave
[ Intl Commission on Missing Persons ] [ 14 Jul 2018 00:05 GMT ]

Anti-disappearance activists and local human rights lawyers believe the grave contains bodies of Tamils allegedly abducted, tortured and killed. [Full Story]

Human Rights Council holds interactive dialogue with the High Commissioner for Human Rights
[ Reliefweb ] [ 13 Jul 2018 02:45 GMT ]

Sri Lanka was trying to safeguard the dominance given to Buddhists and was neglecting the rights of Tamils. [Full Story]

Tamil Diaspora Stands in Solidarity with Tamil Families of the Disappeared
[ Tamil Guardian ] [ 12 Jul 2018 01:05 GMT ]

Hundreds attended protests in their respective cities and supported the call for international pressure onto the Sri Lankan government to meet the Families' demands. [Full Story]

Kongu epic now Tamil lesson for kids in Canada
[ Times of India ] [ 11 Jul 2018 00:45 GMT ]

An adjunct professor of anthropology at the University of Toronto, Beck realized the epic with its social and cultural implications would be an apt as a lesson for young Tamil speaking students in Toronto. [Full Story]

When Humanitarian Response Facilitates State Abuses: A review of the humanitarian response to IDP detention in Sri Lanka, 2009
[ Field View ] [ 10 Jul 2018 03:44 GMT ]

These detention camps were funded, created and maintained almost entirely by international humanitarian assistance. [Full Report]

An empty Lankan airport holds promise for India
[ The Asian Age ] [ 09 Jul 2018 02:23 GMT ]

Five years on, they are still waiting for someone to check in. [Full Story]

Time to heal Sri Lanka's wounds
[ UCA News ] [ 08 Jul 2018 01:55 GMT ]

Despite fine words and promises from political leaders, peace and reconciliation remain as elusive as ever. [Full Story]

The Government Sponsored, Institutionalised and Systematic Programs Against the Tamils of Sri Lanka
[ Academia ] [ 07 Jul 2018 02:08 GMT ]

The collective wishes of the Tamil people to manage their political, social, economic and cultural affairs are denied to them and their attempts to emerge from the effects of the war are being deliberately impeded. [Full Story]

Debut Stories Trace the Aftershocks of the Sri Lankan Civil War
[ New York Times ] [ 06 Jul 2018 04:35 GMT ]

Across decades and continents, her characters are haunted by catastrophic violence, their emotional scars passed from one generation to the next. [Full Story]

State ordered to grant Tamil man refugee status
[ NHK WORLD-JAPAN ] [ 05 Jul 2018 14:24 GMT ]

Presiding Judge Chieko Shimizu noted that even after the civil war, minority Tamils face the risk of detention and torture. [Full Story]

Losing Santhia. The death of a Tiger and the fate of a nation, part one
[ Red Flag ] [ 04 Jul 2018 23:39 GMT ]

Across Tamil Eelam in the north and east of Sri Lanka, in south and south-east Asian refugee camps and communities and in the diaspora, Tamil activists are in political disarray. [Full Story]

In multi-ethnic Malaysia, PM Mahathir tells young to forget race and be 'pure Malaysian'
[ Channel News Asia ] [ 03 Jul 2018 02:35 GMT ]

Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad wants Malaysia's young citizens to forget racial origins and think of themselves as 'pure Malaysians'. [Full Story]

At land's end, remains of a revolution
[ The Times of India ] [ 02 Jul 2018 05:11 GMT ]

Bordered by the blue sea, the fishing village with its unpretentious houses and uncluttered routine had a slice of Sri Lanka's Tamil Eelam war buried on its shores. [Full Story]

Over 60,000 People Disappeared; Here Are the Families Trying to Find Them
[ The Slot - Jezebel ] [ 01 Jul 2018 23:57 GMT ]

After the war ended in 2009, thousands of Tamil fighters surrendered but were never returned to their families, as well as children and civilians who were taken by the government. [Full Story]

500 days of protest. Tell the government of Sri Lanka: 'enough is enough'
[ The Sri Lanka Campaign ] [ 30 Jun 2018 02:06 GMT ]

The protestors are seeking answers as to the fate and whereabouts of their loved ones, many of whom were 'disappeared' during the war, including after being taken into custody. [Full Story]

Tamil Nadu government to create Tamil Chairs in top global universities
[ The New Indian Express ] [ 29 Jun 2018 04:32 GMT ]

After contributing generously for the creation of a Tamil Chair in Harvard University, the Tamil Nadu government has now decided to set up a Tamil Chair in renowned universities across the globe. [Full Story]

Group pledges $3-million to U of T for chair in Tamil studies
[ University of Toronto ] [ 28 Jun 2018 02:50 GMT ]

Tamil is one of the world's oldest and longest-surviving languages, and is spoken by more than 80 million people around the world. [Full Story]

How China Got Sri Lanka to Cough Up a Port
[ The New York Times ] [ 27 Jun 2018 3:09 GMT ]

The relationship between China and Sri Lanka had long been amicable, with Sri Lanka an early recognizer of Mao's Communist government after the Chinese Revolution. [Full Story]

Sri Lanka: Deplorable threats against human rights defender
[ Amnesty International ] [ 26 Jun 2018 14:01 GMT ]

Under international human rights laws and standards, states have the obligation do all that can be reasonably expected of them to protect an individual in the public sphere whose life is at risk. [Full Story]

Tamil family members win injunction to prevent deportation to Sri Lanka
[ The Guardian UK ] [ 25 Jun 2018 01:25 GMT ]

Cameron, one of many Biloela residents who has rallied behind the family, said supporters would continue to campaign for a reprieve. [Full Story]

11 Exciting Holiday Destinations In Tamil Nadu For Every Kind Of Traveller
[ NDTV ] [ 24 Jun 2018 00:42 GMT ]

From grand temples to picturesque hill stations, Tamil Nadu offers many options. [Full Story]

Time to heal Sri Lanka's wounds
[ La Croix International ] [ 23 Jun 2018 02:27 GMT ]

Anyone who spoke of peace and reconciliation was considered part of an anti-national movement sympathizing with separatist groups. [Full Story]

Justice for most of Lanka civil war victims remains elusive: US lawmaker
[ Press Trust of India ] [ 22 Jun 2018 03:07 GMT ]

This presents the United States with an opportunity to stand up for justice and the rule of law. [Full Story]

Lankan Tamil Issue Won't Go Away From World Arena With US Quitting UNHRC
[ The Citizen ] [ 21 Jun 2018 22:40 GMT ]

'The Tamils in the UK and Canada have enough electoral clout to influence their government's Sri Lanka policy,' [Full Story]

Human Rights Concerns in Sri Lanka
[ Foreign Affairs Committee ] [ 20 Jun 2018 21:05 GMT ]

It is imperative for Congress to exercise leadership on this issue and ensure that a country as strategically located as Sri Lanka doesn't collapse again.' [Full Story] [Report]

Lanka Cabinet approves bill to set up an office to compensate civil war victims
[ Press Trust of India ] [ 19 Jun 2018 02:19 GMT ]

Sri Lanka is under international pressure to set up transitional justice mechanisms for the victims. [Full Story]

Sri Lankan political group cleans streets around UK
[ Harrow Times ] [ 18 Jun 2018 03:04 GMT ]

'It is the duty of each of us to keep our environment clean and avoid the use of plastics for our well-being and prosperity.' [Full Story]

Karunanidhi: Dravidian satrap who aced the game of coalition politics
[ Times of India ] [ 17 Jun 2018 01:25 GMT ]

A stage artist, script writer, speaker, organiser, poet, administrator and journalist — Karunanidhi is an extraordinarily endowed leader. [Full Story]

The Subversion Of Our Democratic Political Spaces & What It Means For Sri Lanka's Future
[ GV ] [ 16 Jun 2018 00:08 GMT ]

The Tamil community has been left in a worse situation after the 30-year war than before and now they have no one to stand by them but themselves. [Full Story]

Whither reconciliation?
[ Deccan Herald ] [ 15 Jun 2018 03:04 GMT ]

A decade down the line, attempts to find a long-term settlement for the ethnic issue have been cosmetic, largely under pressure from the international community. [Full Story]

Kaala: India superstar Rajinikanth mixes swagger with politics
[ BBC ] [ 14 Jun 2018 00:09 GMT ]

Kaala, arguably Rajinikanth's most awaited film, makes a strong statement on discrimination based on colour, ethnicity and Dalit empowerment. [Full Story]

Threatened Sri Lankan priest wins rights prize
[ UCA News ] [ 13 Jun 2018 02:22 GMT ]

He visits police stations and army camps seeking justice, including for the loved ones of ethnic Tamils who disappeared after being taken into military custody during the nation's 1983-2009 civil war. [Full Story]

Fear of the abaya
[ The Hindu ] [ 12 Jun 2018 00:55 GMT ]

If the two minorities can't stand in solidarity with each other, then the future of the individuals in either community would remain bleak. [Full Story]

Leave.EU donor Arron Banks 'must explain Russia link'
[ BBC ] [ 11 Jun 2018 00:30 GMT ]

Since Britain voted to leave the EU in June 2016, questions have been raised about the unofficial campaign of Leave.EU and its chief backer Mr Banks. [Full Story]

Anthony Bourdain, Renegade Chef Who Reported From the World's Tables, Is Dead at 61
[ The New York Times ] [ 10 Jun 2018 02:33 GMT ]

His early public persona - the macho, unrepentant, drug-loving chef - evolved into that of a clear-eyed crusader for global food justice. [Full Story] [Bourdain's Sri Lankan Food-Odyssey ]

The Plight of Widows
[ Eventbrite ] [ 09 Jun 2018 03:19 GMT ]

There are an estimated 245 million widows worldwide, with almost 50% living in poverty and suffering from social stigmatisation and economic depravation. [Full Story]

From Soldiers To Housewives: Women Who Fought As Tamil Tigers In Sri Lanka Are Forced Into Traditional Roles
[ NDTV ] [ 08 Jun 2018 02:49 GMT ]

'Dspite winning the war, we have yet to win the peace,'he said, 'and in order to do so, it is essential that we win the hearts of those in the war-affected areas.' [Full Story]

Rap offered me the freedom society didn't: Lady Kash, Singaporean Tamil-English rapper
[ The News Minute ] [ 07 Jun 2018 00:06 GMT ]

Her musical journey has taken her around the world to countries like Canada, Switzerland, Dubai, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, to name a few. [Full Story]

TNA deserves a positive response
[ Observer Research Foundation ] [ 06 Jun 2018 01:59 GMT ]

The TNA will need visible and specific powers that the Tamil people are able to touch and feel in their time, if the duo want whatever votes that the TNA can muster for them in a future presidential poll. [Full Story]

Food festival review: Flavours of Sri Lanka come to Kathmandu
[ Online khabar ] [ 05 Jun 2018 00:22 GMT ]

Most five-star hotels in Kathmandu love to experiment with food by hosting numerous food festivals. [Full Story]

Nine years since Sri Lankan civil war ended in massacre of Tamils
[ World Socialist Web Site ] [ 04 Jun 2018 01:45 GMT ]

On the anniversary of this horrific massacre, we appeal to workers and youth in Sri Lanka and throughout the Indian subcontinent for their support. [Full Story]

Displaced Sri Lankans defy military to reclaim homeland
[ Aljazeera ] [ 03 Jun 2018 03:47 GMT ]

'We will persist, we will live here, and we won't leave because this is our native land," said the WDS head. [Full Story]

King-sized game
[ The Hindu ] [ 02 Jun 2018 00:12 GMT ]

All about moves - A chess board used by the last Tamil ruler of Kingdom of Kandy in Sri Lanka Sri Vikrama Rajasingha on display at the Government Museum in Vellore. [Full Story]

37 years on - remembering the burning of the Jaffna Public Library
[ Tamil Guardian ] [ 01 Jun 2018 02:02 GMT ]

Over 95,000 unique and irreplaceable Tamil manuscripts and parchments housed within an impressive building inspired by ancient Dravidian architecture, were destroyed during the burning. [Full Story]

How Shelley's Indian 'disciple' changed copyright law
[ BBC ] [ 31 May 2018 10:15 GMT ]

Subramania Bharati, who wrote in the Tamil language, was a literary colossus. [Full Story]

For some Sri Lankan refugees, illegal boats still only way home
[ The Times of India ] [ 30 May 2018 02:32 GMT ]

'Some of the refugees said they aren't given a timeline for repatriation by officials. Tired of waiting, they take the ferry,' [Full Story]

The grassroots movement that shut down an Indian copper plant
[ BBC ] [ 29 May 2018 11:45 GMT ]

In fact it is the fourth instance that it has had to halt operations due to incidents like gas leaks, air pollution and groundwater contamination. [Full Story]

A Novel of Sri Lanka's Civil War, in Lush Tropical Detail
[ The New York Times ] [ 28 May 2018 00:41 GMT ]

As the story comes full circle, hope, love and history collide with an unsparing force that resonates into the contemporary world. [Full Story]

Call for justice for thousands of lost Tamils
[ UCA News ] [ 27 May 2018 01:18 GMT ]

A call has been made for May 18 each year to be recognized as Tamil Genocide Day and for the international community to ensure justice for the Sri Lankan ethnic minority. [Full Story]

An open letter to António Guterres – Sri Lanka's troubling peacekeeping contributions
[ Transconflict ] [ 26 May 2018 01:22 GMT ]

Today we make our case in an open letter to the United Nations Secretary-General Mr António Guterres, and urge him to use the powers at his disposal to help rectify this appalling situation. [Full Story]

In Tuticorin killings, all parties find their own favourite enemy
[ The Print ] [ 25 May 2018 03:17 GMT ]

Never has Tamil Nadu seen such violence unleashed upon its people. [Full Story]

Nine years after: On ninth anniversary of the end of civil war in Sri Lanka
[ The Hindu - Editorial ] [ 24 May 2018 00:02 GMT ]

The anniversary of the civil war's end reveals the persisting ethnic division in Sri Lanka. [Full Story]

Film on Sri Lankan Army's Tamil genocide waging war with censors
[ The New Indian Express ] [ 23 May 2018 03:41 GMT ]

It was futile to impress upon the censor board members that only facts were depicted in the film, and that it was the product of many years of research' he says. [Full Story]

Don't Rehabilitate Sri Lanka's Tarnished Military
[ International Policy Digest ] [ 22 May 2018 03:01 GMT ]

Pervasive militarization and the concomitant lack of accountability for past abuses has ensured that human rights violations in the country's north and east remain widespread. [Full Story]

Two Recent Novels Offer Differing Insights into the Sri Lankan Refugee Experience
[ PopMatters ] [ 21 May 2018 01:44 GMT ]

The book is not interested in the politics of the refugee experience, but rather with the refugee's inner life, their psychological coming to grips with their situation of displacement and alienation. [Full Story]

Remembrance, Resistance and Resilience
[ Pearl ] [ 20 May 2018 02:08 GMT ]

The Tamil people remember, and resist. Nine years after the most calamitous day in Eelam Tamil history, the nation's resilience is nothing short of remarkable. [Full Story]

Sri Lanka, Nine Years After the War
[ Human Rights Watch ] [ 19 May 2018 02:17 GMT ]

A Brutal Conflict Ended, But Questions Remain. [Full Story]

Sri Lanka: Release lists of the forcibly disappeared
[ Amnesty International ] [ 18 May 2018 00:09 GMT ]

The mass disappearance of those who surrendered at the end of the war is a clear indication of the institutionalization of the practice of enforced disappearances in Sri Lanka. [Full Story]

Tamils mark Mullivaikkal Remembrance Day as struggle for freedom continues
[ Liberation News ] [ 17 May 2018 00:01 GMT ]

Without international solidarity among the oppressed peoples of the world, there will be no liberation! [Full Story]

Tamils to remember the dead in Mullivaikkal
[ The Hindu ] [ 16 May 2018 23:12 GMT ]

The UN estimated nearly 40,000 deaths during the final phase. [Full Story]

< Useful Links >

BBC
Tamil National Alliance
BBC Tamil
CrisisWatch Sri Lanka
Groundviews
Human Rights Watch
Info Lanka
TamilWin
Journalists for DS
Sri Lanka Campaign
Asian Human Rights
Lanka News
Colombo Telegraph
Tamil Canadian
Tamil Guardian
Sri Lanka Guardian
Thamarai
Amnesty International
Tamil Net
Tamil Sangam
Tamil Week
Virakesari
No Fire Zone
 
*The TWG is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

:: Disclaimer & Privacy Notice


Justice Delayed; Justice Denied!

Center for Prevention and Prosecution of Genocide
Short Film-Warning: Graphic Images!
The search for justice
10 years on!
A War Without Witness


Missing
------
Catholic priest and his helper missing since 13th August 2006!


Tamils Against Genocide
.
Evil will triumph if good men and women play spectator to history
If we do not hang together, we assuredly will all hang separately - Benjamin Franklin


Tamil Diaspora to impose economic embargo on
Sri Lanka

Tamil Diaspora is being asked " in solidarity and without harm to Tamil businesses to fully commit itself to a total boycott of Sri Lankan products (and services)."


End Impunity for Attacks on Media Workers in
Sri Lanka

The paradox of international policy

Considering that during the history of the ethnic conflict Sri Lanka has failed to prosecute a single member of its armed forces, despite widespread and systematic abuses, suggests that ...
CFA 2002- 2007: 5 Years of Ceasefire - A Missed Opportunity

There are more internally displaced people now (887,475) than at the beginning of the CFA!

Military Solution? Learn From The Past...


The Plight of Eelam Tamils

Video: Genocide No More Prime Minister!

Copyright 2005-2019, Tamil Writers Guild.
Best Viewed in 1024X768