November 25, 2024 3:42 am
Results: 93
TN parties stoke sentiments on Sri Lanka, LTTE ahead of polls
Ahead of the 2016 assembly polls in Tamil Nadu, the ruling AIADMK and other political parties are attempting to stoke public sentiments on emotive issues like Sri Lankan Tamils’ sufferings and LTTE, although they have not translated into electoral gains in the past. MORE...
India committed to build 50,000 houses in Sri Lanka
India is committed to build 50,000 houses for internally displaced people in Sri Lanka, the Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday. MORE..
Tamil prisoners recommence hunger strike
Over 200 Tamil prisoners have yet again commenced their hunger strike in several prisons across the country to protest against being jailed for years without trial. Earlier, they ended the fast following an assurance from President Maithripala Sirisena that their grievances would be addressed. MORE...
No common amnesty for fasting Tamil prisoners: Mano
There will be no common amnesty for over 200 prisoners, mostly Tamils, who staged a hunger strike in jails throughout the country, the Sri Lankan government said today. MORE...
Tamil prisoners end hunger strike
Over 200 Tamil political prisoners, who were on hunger strike in Sri Lanka to protest against being jailed for years without trial, today ended their fast following an assurance from President Maithripala Sirisena that their grievances would be addressed. MORE...
Vaiko slams UN resolution on Sri Lanka
The United Nation’s resolution authorising Sri Lanka to hold a probe into war crimes is bound to turn detrimental to ethnic Tamils, India’s MDMK general secretary Vaiko has said. MORE...
Sri Lankan govt urged to release all Tamil Nadu fishermen
India’s National Fish Workers Forum (NFF) today urged the Sri Lankan government to immediately release the seven Tamil Nadu fishermen who were arrested by the Sri Lankan navy on charges of fishing in their waters on Monday. MORE..
Human Rights Council betrays Tamils: Vaiko
With the United Nations’ report on Sri Lankan war crimes likely to come up for discussion at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Wednesday, India’s MDMK general secretary Vaiko has said that it will be a black day for Tamils all over the world, The New Indian Express reports. MORE...
Wigneswaran lashes out at concentration of power in his party
Northern Province Chief Minister C.V.Wigneswaran publicly lashed out at “concentration of power” in the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK), the party to which he belongs. MORE...
War crimes in Sri Lanka: Jaya urged to convene all-party meeting
Indian PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss on Thursday urged Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa to convene an all-party meeting to exert pressure on the Centre to bring out a resolution in the UNHRC, seeking international probe into the alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka, the Times of India news agency reported. MORE...
Karunanidhi slammed over Lankan Tamil issue
Former Indian MP and MDMK general secretary Vaiko has slammed DMK president M. Karunanidhi on the Sri Lankan Tamils issue, The Hindu newspaper reported. MORE...
TN assembly for international probe on Sri Lanka
A day after India and Sri Lanka decided to renew efforts to address the vexed ethnic issue in the island nation, Tamil Nadu today stepped up pressure on the Modi government for an international probe against alleged human rights violations and war crimes committed in 2009 in Northern Sri Lanka. MORE..
What would happen to Sri Lankan Tamil refugees in India?
At a time when efforts are on to send Sri Lankan Tamil refugees to their country, opinion is divided on whether hill country Tamils of Indian origin (in plantations) should be persuaded to go back or conferred with Indian citizenship, the Hindu Newspaper reported. MORE...
DMK opposes US move to bring in revised resolution
DMK today opposed any move by the US to bring in a revised resolution in a UN rights body on a probe into alleged rights violations in Sri Lanka, as reported in the media, and said India should not support it. MORE..
TNA leader lashes out at Wigneswaran
The Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) president and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA)’s deputy leader in Parliament, Mavai S. Senathirajah, has come out against Chief Minister of the Northern Province and his colleague C.V. Wigneswaran for the latter’s “conduct” during the recent Parliamentary election campaign. MORE...
Sampanthan as Opposition Leader gives hope - DMK
DMK President M Karunanidhi today welcomed the appointment of Tamil National Alliance leader R Sampanthan as the Leader of Opposition in Sri Lankan Parliament, saying it has given hope for the Tamils in the island nation. MORE..
Tamil parties turn down U.S. call for internal ‘war crimes’ probe
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Leaders representing three constituents of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) have rejected the stand of the U.S., which favoured a domestic investigation mechanism on alleged crimes during the final stages of the Eelam War. MORE...
Lankan Tamil refugees urged to return home
Given the prevailing political situation in Sri Lanka, the time has come for Sri Lankan Tamil refugees in Tamil Nadu to return home, said S. C. Chandrahasan, founder of the Organisation for Eelam Refugees Rehabilitation (OfERR) in India. MORE...
Government begins Tamil resettlement in Sampoor
As a part of Government’s effort to resettle Tamils in North and East, a ceremony was held under the patronage of President Maithripala Sirisena to hand over the land deeds to 234 war displaced families in Sampur, on Saturday. MORE...
TN police unable to obtain inputs from former LTTE cadre
K. Krishnakumar (39), the former militant of the proscribed Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) arrested by the police in Ramanathapuram on July 20 turned out to be a hard nut to crack and the ‘Q’ Branch police could arrest only one person, police sources said. MORE..
Here is the TNA’s election manifesto
“We, the Tamil People of Sri Lanka are a distinct People in terms of relevant International Conventions and Covenants. We as a People want to continue to live in our country in peaceful co-existence with others. MORE...
Lankan Tamil, wife attempt suicide at Tiruchi prison
A Sri Lankan Tamil housed in the special camp in the Tiruchi prison campus here reportedly attempted to end his life by consuming sleeping tablets on Monday. His wife, who had come to meet him at the camp, also consumed sleeping pills, the Hindu reported. MORE...
Major parties reject TNA’s demand for federalism
Major political parties in Sri Lanka have flatly rejected the Tamil National Alliance (TNA)’s demand for federalism. MORE...
Will not allow anyone to tear the country into pieces, says Mahinda
It is yet a secret that what types of pacts have been signed between the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and the United National Party (UNP), former President Mahinda Rajapaksa claims. MORE...
Nalaka Thero reveals Champika’s alleged plan
In a bid to fulfill the demands of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), a pact has been signed between the United National Party (UNP) and Venerable Maduluwawe Sobitha Thero, Convener of the National Joint Committee, Gunadasa Amarasekara said. MORE...
UN document leaked to undermine September’s rights report: Channel 4
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Channel 4 News has reported that a leaked UN document raises concerns over the prospects for genuine justice for the Sri Lankan victims of alleged war crimes. MORE...
MR to pay attention to TNA’s reasonable demands
A fair consideration will be paid to sort out the reasonable demands of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), the former President said. MORE...
Lankan detained in India was close aide of Prabhakaran – police
One of the two Sri Lankan Tamils arrested last night along with communication gadgets and cyanide in the district of Ramanathapuram has been identified as Krishnakumar, a close associate of slain LTTE supremo V Prabhakaran, Tamil Nadu police said today. MORE..
Ex-LTTE cadre with 75 cyanide capsules arrested in Tamil Nadu
Indian Police have arrested a former militant of the proscribed LTTE and seized 75 cyanide capsules, 300 gm of cyanide, four Global Positioning System sets and seven mobile phones at coastal Uchipulli, Tamil Nadu. MORE...
TNA says to push for political solution to Tamil issues
Sri Lanka’s main minority Tamil political party, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), on Monday said it will push for a permanent political solution to issues faced by the Tamils, following the August 17 parliamentary election. MORE...
Smuggling through sea route increased: Report
The sea route from Sri Lanka to Tamil Nadu is being used to smuggle gold into India and this trend is increasing, the Hindu newspaper reported today. MORE...
Ten ex-LTTE members to contest election?
Crusaders for Democracy (CFD), an organization of ex-LTTE cadre and their supporters, will be putting up ten former militants in the Jaffna-Kilinochchi electoral district for the August 17 Sri Lankan parliamentary elections, the New India Express reported. MORE...
Bittersweet return for Sri Lanka’s displaced Tamils - report
When Balasundaram Rasamalar finally got back her home in Sri Lanka’s battle-scarred north after years of military occupation, there was an unexpected problem. The toilet was still in the militarised zone -- where civilians are not allowed. MORE..
Lankan refugee stages protest at camp
A Sri Lankan Tamil refugee housed in a camp at Thuraimangalam near Perambalur abstained from taking food for some time on Friday seeking action against one of the refugees. MORE..
Lankan refugees allege illegal custody, torture by Police
Sri Lankan Tamil refugees of Aanaiyur camp in Madurai are living in morbid fear borne out of police torture. MORE..
Young refugees in TN keen on trying luck in Sri Lanka
As World Refugee Day falls tomorrow, several young Sri Lankan Tamils born and raised in camps in Tamil Nadu are eager to go back to the land of their ancestors to try and connect with their roots and get a sense of belonging. MORE..
Sri Lankan assaulted in Tiruchi special camp
A Sri Lankan Tamil, Y. Srijeyan (39), housed in a special camp in Tiruchi, sustained a head injury after he was allegedly assaulted by two other inmates on Sunday night. MORE..
No discussion on LTTE ban at TNA-GTF meet: Mangala
Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister says that topics such as lifting the proscription of the LTTE or war crimes allegations did not feature in his recent discussion with the Global Tamil Forum and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in London. MORE..
President calls for promoting languages in schools
President Maithripala Sirisena says that Sri Lanka must further develop its education policy with a comprehensive understanding about national and international requirements. MORE..
Sri Lankan refugee seeks compensation for his daughter’s death
A Sri Lankan refugee at a Tamil Nadu refugee camp today moved the Madras High court seeking Rs 10 lakh in compensation from the state government for the death of his minor daughter who succumbed to injuries as the dilapidated house they were staying in collapsed in rains last year. MORE..
UK arrests Lankan asylum seeker; will deport him
UK immigration officials have detained Janahan Sivanathan, a 22-year-old Tamil asylum seeker and political activist from Sri Lanka. MORE...
Injustice against Tamils in Sri Lanka continues: DMK
Expressing concern over a report on the Sri Lankan army’s “continued occupation” of traditional Tamil homeland, DMK on Saturday said it showed that the scene has not changed despite a change of guard in the island republic. MORE..
Govt does not have will to help Tamils - Wigneswaran
Chief Minister of Sri Lanka’s Northern Province, C.V. Wigneswaran, has accused the country’s Central government of not “having the will” to help Tamils or minorities. MORE..
Sri Lankan Minister’s remarks not helpful – India
Differences between Indian and Sri Lankan fishermen’s associations spilled into relations between the two governments, as India responded sharply to the Sri Lankan Fisheries Minister’s refusal of a proposal to allow Indian fishermen into Sri Lankan waters for 65 days. MORE..
South African delegation meets Sri Lankan Tamil Diaspora in UK
A South African delegation has met with Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora organisations with a view to bringing a sense of normalcy to the North-East part of the island and exchange views on how they could contribute towards the peace and reconciliation process. MORE..
Modi paying special attention for Sri Lankan Tamils’ welfare - BJP
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been paying special attention for the welfare of Tamils both in India and in Sri Lanka, says Muralidhar Rao, national general secretary of the BJP. MORE..
Jayalalithaa takes oath Tamil Nadu CM
AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa on Saturday was sworn in for the fifth time as Tamil Nadu chief minister, nearly eight months after she was forced to quit over corruption charges. MORE..
TN CM Panneerselvam resign; Jayalalithaa invited to form Govt soon
Accepting the resignation of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O.Panneerselvam and his council of ministers on Friday Governor K. Rosaiah invited AIADMK general secretary J.Jayalaltihaa to form the ministry at the earliest, a Raj Bhavan statement said. MORE...
ITJP seeks info about 110 surrendered Tamil Tigers
The International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP) Sri Lanka, headed by South African rights activist Yasmin Sooka, has asked the Sri Lankan government to give information about the whereabouts of 110 LTTE leaders who had surrendered to the Lankan military in full public view on May 18, 2009. MORE..
Government nominates former cricketer Skandakumar as top envoy to Australia
Sri Lanka has nominated a new chief envoy to Australia – a former cricket administrator, businessman and member of country’s Tamil minority. MORE...
Would rather die than go back to Lanka - Refugee
The tiny 10x16 sq ft houses awaiting doors, windows and a coat of paint at the Melmonavoor Sri Lankan refugee camp in India, one of the six camps in Vellore district, reflect the conflict that every refugee from the island nation is going through. MORE...
Court bans LTTE remembrance events in Mullaitivu
The Mullaitivu Magistrate’s Court today issued a stay order banning the holding if any LTTE remembrance event up to 14 days from 18 May within the Mullaitivu police area, police spokes ASP Ruwan Gunasekara said. MORE..
Majority of Sri Lankan refugees not willing to return - Swaminathan
Only 35 per cent of Sri Lankan Tamil refugees living in Tamil Nadu are willing to come back, D.M. Swaminathan, Minister for Resettlement, Reconstruction and Hindu Religious Affairs, said on Friday. MORE..
65 Sri Lankan refugees return from India
A batch of 65 Sri Lankan refugees, from some 32 families, returned from India today, Minister of Resettlement and Hindu Religious Affairs D.M. Swaminathan told Ada Derana. MORE..
DMK welcomes Sri Lanka’s efforts to solve fishing dispute
Welcoming Sri Lanka’s efforts to solve the fishing dispute in Palk Strait, DMK today urged the Indian government to take steps for bilateral talks involving fishermen of the island nation and India and bring about a lasting solution to the vexed issue. MORE..
BJP leaders discuss 13A with govt
A BJP team from Tamil Nadu on a Track II diplomatic mission has urged the Sri Lankan government to expedite democratic reforms under the 13th amendment to ensure devolution of powers to Tamil provinces and grant of equal rights to Tamils. MORE..
TN MPs want India to reclaim Katchatheevu
Indian Rajya Sabha members from the AIADMK, DMK and the CPI want the Centre to renegotiate with the government of Sri Lanka to reclaim the island of Katchatheevu. MORE...
TNA shared its vision for a united Sri Lanka - Kerry
US Secretary of State John Kerry says that it was interesting to hear Sri Lanka’s Tamil leaders share their vision for a united and peaceful Sri Lanka, even though there are difficult issues still to “get over.” MORE..
Kerry holds talks TNA, backs justice for Tamils
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry ended a visit to Sri Lanka Sunday after pledging support for minority Tamils following decades of ethnic war, a local Tamil politician said. MORE..
Five jailed in The Hague for supporting Tamil Tigers
Five Dutch nationals of Sri Lankan origin have been jailed for between 19 months and six years three months for raising money for the Tamil Tigers, which has been on the EU’s official list of terrorist organisations since 2006. MORE..
Sri Lankan gang arrested over fake passport racket
The Q branch of the Tamil Nadu police busted on Wednesday, a fake passport racket run by a Sri Lankan gang which had been ‘issuing’ fake Indian passports and fake visas to Sri Lankan refugees after collecting huge amounts and helping them to go to Europe and Canada via Nepal. MORE..
Sri Lankan gets 7-year jail in robbery case
The Second Additional Assistant Sessions Court in Tiruchy on Monday convicted and sentenced a Sri Lankan Tamil to undergo seven-year imprisonment for robbing a woman of a gold chain after attacking her in April 2013. MORE..
Minorities feel hard done by electoral reform
A proposed move to reform Sri Lanka’s electoral system has not found favour with the country’s minority Tamil and Muslim political parties, who say the current proportional representation system is best suited for their interests. MORE...
Sri Lankan couple, daughters land near Rameswaram
A Sri Lankan Tamil couple with their three teenage daughters landed clandestinely at Arichalmunai, off Dhanushkodi in the early hours of Friday, The Hindu reports. MORE..
India unsuited to play mediator due to TN factor - Dayan
India is “structurally unsuited” to be mediator or facilitator in the Sri Lankan ethnic conflict because it is subject to the “emotional and electoral power” of one of its constituent states, namely, Tamil Nadu, argues former Sri Lankan envoy at the UN in Geneva, Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka. MORE..
Bishop meets Sri Lankan Tamils in Chennai
Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, who is on a visit to India, has held talks with Sri Lankan Tamils living there and termed the meeting as “constructive”. MORE..
Sri Lanka must offer full support to UN probe - Cameron
British Prime Minister David Cameron says he has offered support to the steps being taken by the government to address past issues while stressing that Sri Lanka should “go further” and continue to offer full support to the ongoing UN investigation. MORE..
Over 600 arrested for drunk driving
Police have arrested 605 motorists for driving under the influence of alcohol following special operations launched in view of the festive season. MORE..
We will continue to push for independent probe - Ed Miliband
British Prime Ministerial hopeful Ed Miliband says that the Labour Party will continue to push for a full and independent, international investigation into alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka. MORE..
Motorists urged to not drink and drive this New Year
The Police Department today appealed to all motorists to refrain from driving while under the influence of alcohol. Special police teams have been deployed to arrest drunken drivers, police spokesman ASP Ruwan Gunasekara said.
New Year embellishes national unity, equality and prosperity - PM
Sinhala and Tamil New Year is a national festival which embellishes the national unity, brotherhood, equality, pleasure and prosperity of which traditions are embedded in the culture of Sri Lankans whose lives are mostly based on an Agricultural economy since distance past, the Sri Lankan Prime Minister said in his New Year Message. MORE..
New Year, spread of festivity amidst commitment to good governance - President
What is special in this New Year celebration is the spread of festivity amidst the commitment to good governance that transcends differences of ethnicity, caste and community, with important strides being taken to realise the need for unity among all our people, President Maithripala Sirisena said in a New Year message. MORE..
Rajapaksa gov’t was more diplomatic on fishermen issue: Leaders
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In contrast to Lanka’s present leaders, former President Mahinda Rajapaksa was more diplomatic, fishermen’s leaders in Karainagar, Jaffna has told the New India Express. MORE...
Extraordinary positive change has occurred in Sri Lanka - Kerry
The United States says that this Sinhala and Tamil New Year has been marked by the extraordinary positive change that has occurred in Sri Lanka over the past several months represents a renewed opportunity for the people of Sri Lanka. MORE..
Lankan refugees held over bid to escape
The Marine police of the Coastal Security Group (CSG) in India have apprehended two Sri Lankan Tamil refugees when one of them tried to clandestinely leave for Sri Lanka from Pamban near Ramanathapuram. MORE..
10 arrested over attempt to burn Sirisena’s effigy
Indian police took into custody 10 persons belonging to the Tamilaga Vazhvurimai Katchi in Kumbakonam on Friday who attempted to burn an effigy of Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena. MORE..
IPL 8: Sri Lankan cricketers not allowed to play in Chennai
Last year’s wooden spooners Delhi Daredevils will have to go into a tough IPL 8 opening encounter against the formidable Chennai Super Kings on April 9 without the services of star all-rounder Angelo Mathews. MORE..
Government warns Tamil Tiger rebels could regroup
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New government warned on Monday that defeated Tamil Tiger rebels could regroup and orchestrate another conflict, six years after their defeat in the island’s separatist war.
Political settlement with Tamils must for stability: PM
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has said a “political settlement” with the minority Tamil community is a prerequisite for a “stable and secure” country. MORE...
3 Sri Lankans held for human smuggling
The Tamil Nadu ‘Q’ branch police have arrested three Sri Lankan Tamils for illegally migrating the refugees from the special camps to Australia. MORE..
Lifting ban on national anthem in Tamil sparks row
A decision by President Maithripala Sirisena to allow the singing of the Sri Lankan national anthem in Tamil has sparked a row, with the move coming under attack from his own Sri Lankan Freedom Party (SLFP). MORE...
Sirisena allows singing of Lankan national anthem in Tamil
In a major reconciliatory move, Sri Lankan President Mathripala Sirisena will be sending a circular to all institutions saying that there is no bar on singing the Lankan national anthem in Tamil, the New Indian Express said on Wednesday (18). MORE...
Tamils in Canada urge Modi to pressure Sri Lanka
Welcoming Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Colombo, a leading Tamil group in Canada - home to the largest Tamil diaspora outside Sri Lanka - has urged him to put pressure on new President Maithiripala Sirisena to resolve the dragging ethnic issue. MORE..
Balendra Jeyakumari released on bail
Tamil activist Balendra Jeyakumari, who was arrested for allegedly harbouring terror suspects in her home, has been released on bail with strict conditions by the Colombo Additional Magistrate. MORE..
Protest against Maithripala in London
A large number of British Tamils staged a rally in London on Monday (09) against the visiting Sri Lankan President Maithripala Srisena. MORE..
Don’t look at Sri Lanka through Tamil prism - Champika
India should see Sri Lanka as a whole and stop focussing just on the island’s Tamil-majority Northern Province, Sri Lankan Cabinet Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka said in an interview to The Hindu on Monday. MORE...
TN wants bilateral fishermen talks with SL after mid-March
The Indian Ministry of External Affairs is working on fixing a fresh date for holding third round of talks between fishermen of Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu after the State government informed that it would be difficult to host it on March 11 as proposed by the island nation. MORE..
Tamil Nadu CM seeks Modi’s help to release fishermen
The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam on Friday sought urgent intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure the early release of fishermen from Tamil Nadu and their boats held by Sri Lankan Navy on February 26. MORE..
Bid to bring ex-LTTE cadre into Tamil political mainstream
N. Vithyatharan, former editor of popular pro-LTTE Tamil dailies Sudar Oli and Uthayan, has started a movement to bring into the Tamil political mainstream, former LTTE cadre and their supporters, who are either out rightly rejected or discriminated against by existing Tamil political organizations like ITAK and TNA. MORE..
India must push Sri Lanka on 13A - Sampanthan
The Indian government must continue pushing the Sri Lankan government towards the implementation of the 13th Amendment, Leader of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) R. Sampanthan said. MORE..
Karunanidhi wants India to move resolution against Sri Lanka
DMK president M Karunanidhi on Friday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to consider moving a resolution in the UNHRC against Sri Lanka over alleged genocide and wanted India to support adoption of a human rights violation report in the world body. MORE..
Northern PC adopts another resolution: calls for international investigation
The Northern Provincial Council (NPC) today unanimously passed a resolution and called for an international investigation into alleged ‘genocide’ against the Tamils community. MORE...
UNHCR, EU to help SL Tamils return
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the European Union (EU) have undertaken to help the Sri Lankan government repatriate Lankan Tamil refugees in Tamil Nadu and resettle them in the Island Nation, the Lankan Ministry of Resettlement has said. MORE...