A Volatile Picture by Vindhya Buthpitiya, June 2026 PUBLISHED: June 2026 SUBJECT LISTING: Asian Studies / South Asia, Anthropology, Visual Studies BIBLIOGRAPHIC INFORMATION: 304 Pages, 6 x 9 in, 30 b&w illus. SERIES: Global South Asia ISBN: 9780295754444 Publisher: University of Washington Press A Volatile Picture Photography as witness and weapon amid civil war This… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Diaspora
Does the World Still Misunderstand M.I.A.?
By Joe Coscarelli and Jon Caramanica, The New York Times, June 5, 2026 Visuals by Caroline Tompkins Listen to interview at https://www.nytimes.com/video/podcasts/100000010940871/mia-on-maga-the-kid-cudi-tour-bipartisan-cancellation.html?smid=url-share It was supposed to be a moment of redemption for M.I.A. Two decades on from the ecstatic electronic pop and rap that made her one of the most significant, ear-opening stars in music, the Sri Lankan-British singer returned in… Read more »
What is a Radical? It’s the Question of M.I.A.’s Vexing Career
Fans who danced to “Paper Planes” might hardly recognize the conspiracy-touting artist before them today — but in a certain way, she’s the same button-pusher as ever by Sheldon Pierce, NPR/WNYC, May 9, 2026 In journals from 1838, the philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote a self-reprimand challenging his personal understanding of critical discourse: “Let me… Read more »
Changing of the Guard
by Mario Arulthas, North-Eastern Monthly, May 14, updated June 10, 2026 Fifty years after the Vaddukkoddai Resolution, the Sri Lankan state’s efforts to destroy Eelam Tamil nationalism have failed. Since the end of the war in 2009, everyday Tamils have taken over from the stagnant institutions that positioned themselves as successors to the armed resistance…. Read more »
Understanding Mullivaikkal
A journey through history by Crawley Forum for Peace & Remembrance, UK, May 2026 Understanding Mullivaikkal a journey thru history Each year on May 18, Mullivaikkal Remembrance Day honours the Tamil civilians who lost their lives during the final stages of the war in May 2009. For many Tamils around the world, the events that… Read more »
TG: Sri Lanka Housing Crisis
Deepens inequality, raises land concerns in North-East by Tamil Guardian, London, April 7, 2026 Sri Lanka’s housing crisis is rapidly escalating into a full-scale affordability collapse, exposing deepening class divisions and structural inequalities across the island’s urban centres. Ranked as one of Asia’s most unaffordable housing markets by The Economist, the crisis reflects a widening… Read more »
ITJP: GSF Sexual Violence Consultation Report
by International Truth & Justice Project, South Africa, January 15, 2026 ITJP-GSFReportSriLanka-Final-January-2026_2026-01-14-222743_vgod Press Release Johannesburg: Survivors of systematic and widespread conflict-related sexual violence in Sri Lanka say they urgently need justice, accountability and sustained psychological and social support. The International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP) today launched the findings of a two-year consultation with Tamil… Read more »
The Vaddukoddai Resolution at 50
Historical Context, Political Impact, Legal Claims, and Contemporary Significance by Wimal Navaratnam‘s blog, Canada, March 9, 2026 Introduction The Vaddukoddai Resolution, adopted on May 14, 1976, in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, stands as a pivotal moment in the political history of the island and in the evolution of Tamil nationalism. As the resolution marks its 50th… Read more »
Felix Arulnayagam Christopher
It is with deepest regret that we inform you of the passing of Felix Arulnayagam (Aras) Christopher, beloved husband, father, engineer, and community leader, who passed away peacefully on January 1, 2026, at the age of 83. . . Felix was deeply involved in cultural and community life. As an active member—and later President—of the… Read more »
BTF: Militarisation and Buddhisisation Continue in the Tamil Homeland
Exposing the Futility of Domestic Accountability in Sri Lanka by British Tamils Forum, London, January 4, 2026 BTF Militarisation and Buddhisisation Jan 2026 The British Tamils Forum (BTF) strongly denounces the Sinhala Buddhist hegemony for the illegal erection of the Tissa Vihara on privately owned land belonging to the Tamil people. Amid the systematic destruction… Read more »
One of America’s Most Successful Experiments Is Coming to a Shuddering Halt
by Lydia Polgreen, The New York Times, December 29, 2025 It was a joyous day, the fulfillment of a quarter-century of hard work and relentless fund-raising. Srinivasachary Tamirisa, a retired doctor living in Sugar Land, Texas, beamed with pride as his dream — to erect a statue of the Hindu deity Hanuman on the grounds… Read more »
Essential Jaffna Tamil
by N. Malathy, November 12, 2025 Sociological study of Jaffna Tamils is not extensive. We have not had a well-known academic among us in this area. Karthikesu Sivathamby’s books (“யாழ்ப்பாண சமூகத்தை விளங்கிக் கொள்ளல்,” கார்த்திகேசு சிவதம்பி, 1990; “Sri Lankan Tamil Society and Politics”, Karthikesu Sivathamby, 1995) about us are the best I have seen. All are… Read more »
‘Uprooted — Voices of Tamil Dispossession and Resilience’
MEDIA RELEASE Uprooted — Voices of Tamil Dispossession and Resilience MP4 video of Mr. Ana Pararajasingham on his book — fa06ec34-bcfd-4e5c-8597-290df08410c0 Published in late September and now available on Amazon, Uprooted explores the displacement of Sri Lanka’s Tamil people through the voices of those who lived it — thirty-four individuals across the globe who, while… Read more »
From Thileepan to Today
Tamil Guardian editorial, London, September 29, 2025 Remembering Thileepan’s sacrifice 38 years on | Tamil Guardian An unprecedented number of events took place across the North-East last week. Hunger strikes were staged. Flames were lit and garlands laid. The elderly and children gathered together. A kavadi even procession took place, with hooks piercing the flesh… Read more »
Two Steps Backwards
Tamil Guardian editorial, , London, September 15, 2025 To call the latest draft resolution from the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva disappointing would be far too kind. It is not simply a missed opportunity, but a disastrous step backwards in the long and painful struggle for justice for the Tamil people. Sixteen years… Read more »
Born in India, but Not Indian
‘Stateless’ man fights for citizenship by Saradha V, BBC, London, September 24, 2025 Bahison Ravindran says he always believed he was Indian. Born to Sri Lankan refugee parents in the southern Indian Tamil Nadu state, the 34-year-old web developer had studied and worked there, and held several government-issued identity documents, including an Indian passport. But… Read more »
White House 2009 Genocide Awareness Rally
Washington, DC Mall, February 2009
An Epochal Episode in the Tamil Freedom Struggle
Black July 1983 Reposting from July 10, 2006 by Dharakan, Brisbane, Australia J.R. Jayawardene said, “The more you put pressure in the north, the happier the Sinhala people will be here. Really, if I starve the Tamils out, the Sinhala people will be happy.” Early Ground Work for Genocide Burning Tamil houses, July 1983. Source:… Read more »
ATC Remembers Black July
by Australian Tamil Congress, July 2025
Explainer: Another Mass Grave and the 1990 Sampur Massacres
by Tamil Guardian, London, July 25, 2025 Tamils pay tribute to victims of the massacres earlier this year. Following the discovery of another set of human remains in Sampur this week, just metres from where at least 57 Tamil civilians were murdered by Sri Lankan government forces in July 1990, we re-examine the massacres. ‘We… Read more »