A multi-party parliamentary delegation that visited Sri Lanka on Friday submitted a report on the condition of ethnic Tamils to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who said India will stand "solidly behind" the minority community in their pursuit for a political settlement.
Sirisena's sacking of Wickremesinghe was the culmination of an year of bitter relations between them on several policy matters. The president has been critical of the prime minister and his policies, especially on economy and security.
Washington also expressed sadness at children being affected by the conflict, especially the death of dozens of them as a result of bombings.
It was the first time in seven years Sri Lanka had imposed the measure. The country was under a state of emergency for nearly three decades when the government fought Tamil rebels Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in the civil war that ended in 2009.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalitha has written to the prime minister asking for restoration of rice subsidies for Sri Lankan Tamil refugees in India.
The first batch of 2,400 Tamils lodged in camps for internally displaced persons in Sri Lanka were sent back home on Thursday as assured by the Sri Lankan government, said Dravida Munnetra Kazhgam Member of Parliament T R Baalu, who led a team of Tamil Nadu MPs to the island nation.
No decision has been taken so far on whether Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will attend the of Commonwealth Heads of Government meet in Sri Lanka on November 15-16, the external affairs ministry said on Thursday, asserting it will be taken after considering all aspects including "national interest" and "international obligations".
Sri Lanka on Thursday refuted allegations that India was compelling the government to end the military offensive against the Tamil Tigers, saying New Delhi only sought a peaceful solution to the decades-long problem.
'Given that they are playing at home and will have full crowd support, India, who are in peak form and whose morale is high, will be the favourites.'
India on Thursday said devolution of powers to Tamil-dominated areas in northern Sri Lanka is "really the way" to address the decades-old ethnic conflict in the island nation in a "credible fashion" without which the risk of alienation of the minorities will continue.
Indications are that the DMK combine will win more seats than the AIADMK and BJP, but is facing a tough fight in about half a dozen from the rest, predicts N Sathiya Moorthy of the electoral contest in Tamil Nadu.
Classified as 'Secret' and titled 'LTTE Threat to Canada', the intelligence report said the Canadian Tamil community was among the LTTE's largest sources of funds, having contributed up to 10 to 12 million dollars annually in past years.
The US government has expressed its dissatisfaction over the progress made by Sri Lanka in rehabilitating the war-hit Tamils living in detainee camps and in reconciliating with political parties of Tamils and Muslims in the country.
Pattali Makkal Katchi president G K Mani on Tuesday conducted an advisory meeting with several political parties, traders associations and trade unions at Dharmapuri in Tamil Nadu, for extending their support to the state-wide general strike call given by the Sri Lankan Tamils Protection Movement on February 4. He claimed that traders associations, political parties and trade unions supported the strike call, demanding a ceasefire in Sri Lanka.
A pro-Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam parliamentarian has underlined his party's resolve for an 'autonomous rule' for Tamils in Sri Lanka, claiming that Tamil National Alliance's support for opposition presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka was extended only after getting him to agree to those conditions.
National Security Advisor M K Narayanan summoned Sri Lankan Deputy High Commissioner G G A D Palithaganegoda and conveyed India's concerns over the offensive of the security forces in the Tamil areas and the killing of innocent people there.
The Parliament was adjourned till 2 pm after Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and Congress ally Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam triggered uproar over the alleged land deals by kin of a leading politician and plight of ethnic Tamils in Sri Lanka.
the Tamil film industry is lending its support to the efforts by the state parties to bring focus back on the issue of Sri Lankan Tamils by calling for a protest rally on Sunday. Over 2,000 people, including top stars, directors and other film personalities, are expected to converge at Rameswaram island, which is in close proximity to Sri Lanka
India on Thursday urged Sri Lanka to immediately release on humanitarian grounds 23 Tamil Nadu fishermen, arrested on charges of entering the island nation's waters.
The seven, part of groups of fishermen who put out to sea from Rameswaram in TN, have been taken to Talaimannar in northern Sri Lanka.
The Sri Lankan government on Friday reached out to fishermen community of Tamil Nadu as President Mahinda Rajapaksa's brother and economic development minister Basil met their delegation here with a promise of addressing their concerns.
Save Jasprit Bumrah, whose injury-prone body and exceptional skills demand workload management, questions are now being raised as to why the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja opted out of Duleep Trophy.
Voicing concern over the plight of the Tamils in Sri Lanka, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam on Friday sought Centre's immediate intervention to ensure relief and rehabilitation to internally displaced Tamils in the island nation.
Amid concerns in the Rajya Sabha over arrest of Indian fishermen by Sri Lankan naval forces, the government on Wednesday said it is aware of the situation and will take up the matter with the island nation to protect the interest of Tamil fishermen.
Terror groups are building a base in south India and using the sea route to smuggle in arms and drugs.
Tamil Nadu Chief MinisterJ Jayalalitha, who is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on Tuesday in New Delhi, will give him a memorandum to focus on the Sri Lankan Tamils issue.
India on Thursday continued to be evasive on its stand to be adopted on the resolution against Sri Lanka at the United Nations Human Rights Commission, triggering an angry walk out in Lok Sabha by United Progressive Alliance constituent Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, which was joined by the Bharatiya Janata Party and Janata Dal-United.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj arrived in Colombo on Friday on a two-day trip to set the stage for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Sri Lanka next week, the first bilateral visit to the country by an Indian premier in over 25 years.
Stating that she shared the concerns of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam chief M Karunanidhi regarding Sri Lankan Tamils issue, United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi has told him that she "shall take up the matter" with the external affairs minister.
Tamil protesters clashed with the UK police on Tuesday as they laid siege of the British Parliament demanding an international action to stop "genocide" by the Sri Lanka forces, who are preparing to inflict a "decisive blow" to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam guerrillas.
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam led by its supremo V Prabhakaran had aspired to carve out a big Tamil elam state extending from near Colombo to the southern part of Sri Lanka, the island nation's top defence official has said.
New Zealand's big-hitting opener Chad Bowes smashed the fastest double hundred in List A cricket on Wednesday, reaching the mark in just 103 balls.
Amid indication that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is unlikely to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Summit in Sri Lanka, the external affairs ministry on Saturday said no decision has been taken on the visit, which has been opposed by parties in Tamil Nadu as well as a section in Congress.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on a two-day visit during which she is expected to discuss the fishermen's issue and rights of minority Tamils with the Lankan leadership.
'The CBI did a wonderful job of tracking down the killers, but at the end of the day, all the hard work went for a toss.' 'If we had caught them alive, the operation would have been successful completely.'
A disturbing video purportedly showing Sri Lankan soldiers executing nine Tamils was broadcast in London on Wednesday, triggering war crime charges against Colombo which categorically denied that its security forces were involved in such atrocities.
Tamil Nadu government on Tuesday said it would release 30 Sri Lankan fishermen and 19 boats on December 22 and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to prevail on the island nation to take similar action at the same time to set free fishermen from the state and their boats.
The Times accessed confidential United Nations documents that record nearly 7000 civilian deaths in the no-fire zone up till the end of April. UN sources told the paper that the toll surged from this point onwards, and an average of 1000 civilians were killed each day till May 19, the day after the LTTE supremo V Prabhakaran himself was killed by the armed forces
In an apparent move to placate Sri Lanka's anger over Hillary Clinton's remarks that "rape" was used as a weapon in the war against the LTTE, the US has said it had no recent evidence of women being sexually assaulted while in custody in the country.
