All Blogs
Sri Lanka asks India to crack down on cross border gun-running
COLOMBO, Feb 21, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lanka on Wednesday asked neighbouring India to intensify a crackdown on suspected Tamil rebel gun-running across the narrow strip of sea dividing the two South Asian countries.Sri Lanka’s defence spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella said the interception last week by the Indian coastguard of a boat loaded with weapons indicated […]
Sri Lanka marks truce anniversary, conflict rages on
COLOMBO, Feb 21, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lankan government troops and Tamil Tiger rebels mark the fifth anniversary of their Norwegian-brokered truce this week but the fighting rages on, with nearly 4,000 people killed in the past year.The ceasefire, signed separately by the Tamil Tiger chieftain and Sri Lanka’s then premier, came into effect on […]
Fewer Sri Lankans work abroad due to war, better pay at home
Feb 21, 2007 (AFP) – War in the Middle East and equal paying jobs at home led to a sharp drop in Sri Lankans working abroad in 2006 as maids, clerks and professionals opted to stay put, an official said Wednesday.To make it more attractive, the government now planned to raise the minimum wage to […]
Insurance Appetite
February 20 (LBO) – One of Sri Lanka’s youngest listed insurance firms, HNB Assurance closed up 8 percent Tuesday after declaring a one-for-two bonus issue following a 51 percent surge in profits for 2006. HNB Assurance closed up 2.50 rupees at 33.50 after peaking at 37 after the bonus announcement. A subsidiary of Hatton National […]
Upper Limits
February 20 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Central Bank on Tuesday revised the requirements on single borrower limits to promote better risk management of banks. The new regulations allow individuals or single entities the ability to borrow up to 30 percent of the capital base of the bank. The single borrower limit goes up to 33 […]
Tele Research
Feb 20 (LBO) – Sri Lanka Telecom tied up with the Peradeniya University recently to support information technology research and development for application in sociology, agriculture and medicine. œThis will create a platform for researchers from various disciplines to come together and take part in research and development activities, Shoji Takahashi, Chief Executive Officer of […]
Smooth Talking
COLOMBO, Feb 20, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s telecom sector soared in 2006 to 7.3 million users, led by a 59 percent jump in new mobile phone connections on competition and falling call rates, the telecom watchdog said Tuesday. Despite a waiting list of around 366,000 for fixed-line phone services, the Sri Lanka Telecommunications Regulatory […]
Native Feel
February 20 (LBO) – Microsoft’s new Vista operating system, which comes with built in Sinhala language capability would open a high technology window for rural Sri Lankans, officials said. “The main objective of having Sinhala language in our own operating system is to enable people to interact with the computer,” says Imran Vilcassim, a Microsoft […]
Sri Lanka war planes in action as reported death toll rises
COLOMBO, Feb 20, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lankan military aircraft bombed rebel-held territory on Tuesday, killing at least two villagers, the Tamil Tiger guerrillas said, as the military reported four more deaths. Sri Lanka’s separatist conflict, led by the Tamil Tigers, has claimed over 60,000 lives. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said Israeli-built […]
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COLOMBO, Feb 20, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lanka Tuesday condemned as an “abominable act of terrorism” the firebombing of a train from India to Pakistan that killed 68 people. Sri Lanka, which is battling a separatist campaign by Tamil rebels, said terrorism was a scourge that affected many nations and that the international community “must […]