Sri Lanka assures Indian parliamentary delegation on Tamil refugees resettlementOctober 15th, 2009 CHENNAI - The resettlement of Tamil refugees would begin soon, Sri Lanka has assured an Indian parliamentary delegation. The ten-member delegation, led by former Union Minister T R Baalu, includes MPs from the Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam (DMK), the Congress and the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK returned on Wednesday after their four-day visit to the island nation.
Centre to consider granting Indian citizenship to Lankan refugeesOctober 3rd, 2009 CHENNAI - Union Home Minister P Chidambaram said here on Saturday that the Centre would consider a proposal by the Tamil Nadu Government to grant Indian citizenship to all Sri Lankan Tamil refugees living in the state. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi had earlier urged the Centre to grant Indian citizenships to these refugees.
Vijayakant to observe fast for cause of Sri Lankan TamilsSeptember 28th, 2009 CHENNAI - Actor turned politician Vijayakant, president of DMDK, and his cadres will Tuesday observe a day-long hunger strike in Delhi demanding protection to Indian fishermen from attacks by the Sri Lankan navy and full freedom to Sri Lankan Tamils on the island. Vijayakant and his supporters will fast from 8 a.m.
Tamil Nadu lawmakers request PM to intervene in Sri Lankan Tamil issueSeptember 22nd, 2009 NEW DELHI - A group of lawmakers from Tamil Nadu submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on Tuesday requesting him to intervene in the issue of Tamil refugees in Sri Lanka.
Tamil Nadu's regional party demands lifting of ban on LTTEJuly 29th, 2009 CHENNAI - Demanding the lifting of the ban on the LTTE, members of a regional party based in Tamil Nadu staged a demonstration outside the Central Station in Chennai on Wednesday. Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi party members also demanded equal rights for the Sri Lankan Tamilians, residing as refugees in India since many years.
Swiss officials say tourist taken hostage in North Africa is releasedJuly 12th, 2009 Officials: Swiss hostage is releasedBERN, Switzerland — Swiss officials say a tourist taken hostage in North Africa in January has been released. The Foreign Ministry says the Swiss man who was held in Mali is receiving medical treatment.
Tamil refugees believe Prabhakaran still aliveMay 21st, 2009 COIMBATORE - Though the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam's chief Vellupillai Prabhakaran's dead body was shown all over media channels on Tuesday by Sri Lanka Army, many Tamil refugees in the State don't accept that he is dead. The refugees are not willing to subscribe to the Sri Lankan Government's view that Prabhakaran has been killed.
UN Security Council discusses situation in Sri LankaApril 23rd, 2009 NEW YORK - The UN Security Council met Wednesday to discuss the humanitarian crisis in Sri Lanka, where more than 100,000 refugees have fled rebel-held areas. The informal meeting was requested by France, the country's UN Ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert told reporters.
More civilians flee Tamil rebel zone in Sri LankaApril 22nd, 2009 COLOMBO - Refugees streamed out of the shrinking Tamil rebel-held areas again Wednesday as government troops tightened a cordon around the zone in north-eastern Sri Lanka, military spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella said. Rambukwella told journalists that 81,420 civilian refugees had been counted since Monday in the Puthumathalan area, about 390 km north-east of the capital, and the exodus was continuing.
Man holds seven hostage on plane in JamaicaApril 20th, 2009 KINGSTON - An armed man is holding two passengers and five crew members hostage aboard a charter plane on the Caribbean island of Jamaica, media reports said Monday. The news channel CNN reported that the hostage taker has now released all but two of the 150 passengers scheduled to be on the flight, and continues to hold five crew members.
Sri Lankan refugees arrive at Tamil Nadu coastal townApril 17th, 2009 CHENNAI - Three Sri Lankan refugees from strife-torn northern areas of the island nation arrived in the coastal Tamil Nadu town of Rameshwaram by a fishing boat after reportedly paying Rs.25,000 for the cross over, police said Friday. 'The refugees had paid upto Rs.50,000 in Sri Lankan currency (Rs.25,000) to reach the Indian territorial waters,' a police source said.
Chidambaram to contest from Sivaganga, Mani from MayiladuthuraiApril 16th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Congress Thursday nominated Home Minister P. Chidambaram and Panchayati Raj Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar to contest the Lok Sabha election from Sivaganga and Mayiladuthurai in Tamil Nadu respectively as it released its list of candidates for Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
Six LTTE suspects arrested for French policeman's murderFebruary 25th, 2009 LONDON - Six suspected members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have been arrested in Paris for the murder of a French policeman, a Sri Lankan diplomat said Tuesday. The incident happened at around 9 p.m Saturday night when an armed policeman in civvies spotted the six collecting funds in the Tamil-dominated La Courneuve area, said Walter Jayawardhana, a press spokesman at the Sri Lankan High Commission in London.
UPA insensitive towards Sri Lankan Tamils: AdvaniFebruary 2nd, 2009 CHENNAI - Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) senior leader Lal Krishna Advani Tuesday alleged the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government was insensitive to the plight of Tamils in Sri Lanka. Advani attended a meeting of the representatives of the BJP's Tamil Nadu unit, a BJP press statement said.
Amid war, Tamil refugee flow to India dropsJanuary 30th, 2009 NEW DELHI - As Sri Lankan troops sweep through Tamil Tiger strongholds, Tamils seeking to flee the war-hit island to India are finding the boat journey more and more risky, leading to a sharp drop in their arrivals. From 566 men, women and children who sailed to Tamil Nadu in May 2008, the number fell to 155 in December.
Loading ...