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Tiger chief peace negotiator dies of cancer
COLOMBO, Dec 15, 2006 (AFP) – The senior negotiator for Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tiger rebels, who vociferously pleaded their cause around the world but never took up arms, has died of cancer in London, a close associate told AFP. “It is an unfortunate personal tragedy,” he said, but conceded that “when compared to the vast […]
Death of voice of Tamil struggle a new blow to peace in Sri Lanka
COLOMBO, Dec 15, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s moribund peace process suffered another setback with the death of the top Tamil Tiger negotiator who was regarded as a moderate among hardliners, analysts said Friday. Anton Balasingham, 68, who had spearheaded the peace efforts of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), died of bile duct […]
Tamil Tiger chief mourns loss of “irreplaceable” aide
COLOMBO, Dec 15, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tiger leader conferred Friday the rebels’ highest honour on his chief peace negotiator who died of cancer, saying it was an irreplaceable loss. Velupillai Prabhakaran, 52, said the death in London on Thursday came at a time when the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) needed […]
Corruption watchdog slams Sri Lanka tsunami relief agencies for financial secrecy
December 15 (LBO) – Corruption watchdog Transparency International slammed tsunami relief agencies in Sri Lanka on Friday for sloppy work and scant regard for an independent financial audit. The agency audited six tsunami projects in Sri Lanka – the only six of 70 agencies approached, who agreed to a Value for Money audit by Transparency […]
’s top lenders meet to discuss future funding, development plans
December 15, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s main international lenders are due to meet late next month to asses their ongoing projects and discuss future funding programmes, a top official said. “This will not be a pledging conference for money,” explains Central Bank governor, Nivard Cabraal. “We will discuss our ten-year development plan with donors, […]
Sri Lanka to raise US$100 mn from syndicated loan
December 14, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka Thursday signed up for a 100 million dollar syndicated from Citigroup to help pay for budgetary and balance of payment support, a top official said. Fitch gave Sri Lanka a BB-minus rating while Standard and Poor’s awarded it an even lower B+ sovereign rating. “We (the government) signed […]
Stable Rating
December 14 (LBO) – Rating agency Fitch gave pawn brokering business Edirisinghe Trust Investments a ‘B+(lka)’ long term rating, but said the company was hampered by low profitability and weak management systems. The company was founded in 1967 by the Edirisinghe family and remains a closely held family company. ETI is a registered finance company […]
More Aid
December 14 (LBO) – Sri Lanka and the Asian Development Bank tied up a loan deal worth 210 million dollars on Thursday, to upgrade national highways and water sector. A loan package of 150 million dollars will be used to widen and rehabilitate a network of 350 kilometres of roads, including improving and replacing bridges, […]
China keeps position as Asian leader in outbound tourism
BEIJING, Dec 14, 2006 (AFP) – China has consolidated its position as the Asia leader in outbound tourism, with 28.6 million Chinese travelling overseas in the first 10 months of the year, state media said Thursday. The number marked an increase of 10.8 percent from the same period last year, the China Daily reported, citing […]
Sri Lanka to revise lease agreements between govt. and plantation companies
December 14, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s cabinet has appointed a high level committee to help revise lease agreements currently in place between the government and regional plantation companies.A committee headed by treasury secretary P B Jayasundara will lead the government delegation to hammer out a mutual agreement between the golden shareholder (the government), regional plantation […]