Eelam Tamil refugees returning to homeland arrested by Sri Lankan Navy

by admin
Nov 11, 2024

A group of nine Eelam Tamil refugees who had previously sought refuge in India were detained by the Sri Lankan Navy near Neduntheevu Island this week.

The group, comprising three men, three women, and three children from Trincomalee, Mannar, and Mullaitivu, had initially arrived in India via the Dhanushkodi coast having fled during Sri Lanka’s economic crisis between 2022 and 2023. They had been living in Tamil Nadu’s Mandapam camp where thousands of Eelam Tamil refugees remain.

Officials confirmed that the refugees were intercepted on Saturday evening. Three refugees have been identified as Niroshan, Sudha, Gnanajothi, along with three children and three other women whose names have not been disclosed.  

Despite the end of the armed conflict in 2009, Tamils continue to flee the island amidst ongoing human rights abuses and militarisation of the Tamil homeland. Returnees continue to experience scrutiny and arrests by Sri Lankan authorities. Rights groups have noted this pattern of detention as part of broader state practices that impact Tamils in the North-East.

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Amaran - Problematic propaganda

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The patriotic military films of Tamil cinema had taken a back seat for a while. The subject matter is now seldom a prominent theme of a film, instead lurking in the shadows peeking through such as via the heroes in the works of Nelson Dilipkumar. The genre of war epic makes its grand re-entry to Tamil cinema with director Rajkumar Periasamy’s sophomore feature film, ‘Amaran.’ As is often the case with this genre, one cannot help but feel the events of the ‘true story’ onscreen have been heavily modified for easy consumption.

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Official trailer for film below.

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