Author: lbostgadmin
Sri Lankan Tamils pray for post-election peace
VAVUNIYA, January 26, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s minority Tamils, for decades in the crossfire between rebels and government forces, hope their potentially decisive role in Tuesday’s election will finally bring them peace. The two main candidates, President Mahinda Rajapakse and former general Sarath Fonseka, were the architects of a final assault on Tamil Tiger […]
Sri Lanka northern polling low: monitors
Jan 26, 2010 (LBO) – Polling in Sri Lanka’s north was estimated to be about 15 to 20 percent and in the east about 50 percent while the rest of the country had higher turnouts by early afternoon, a poll monitoring group said. Reports said war refugees in the north had difficulties in getting transport […]
Bomb blasts shadow bitter Sri Lankan presidential poll
January 26, 2010 (AFP) – Pre-dawn bomb blasts in Sri Lanka’s Tamil heartland escalated tensions as the country went to the polls Tuesday in the first presidential election since the end of its 37-year civil war. The bomb attacks on the house of a ruling party activist in the northern peninsula of Jaffna underlined the […]
Sri Lanka polls open for tense presidential election
January 26, 2010 (AFP) – Pre-dawn bomb blasts in Sri Lanka’s Tamil heartland escalated tensions as the country went to the polls Tuesday in the first presidential election since the end of its 37-year ethnic conflict. The bomb attacks in the northern peninsula of Jaffna were a violent start to an already bitter contest between […]
Sri Lanka presidential candidate barred from voting over identity
Jan 26, 2010 (LBO) – A leftist candidate in Sri Lanka’s presidential polls was turned away by polls officials Tuesday because he could not present a prescribed identification document under the country’s election laws. There are 22 candidates in the running for the presidency. The front runners are President Mahinda Rajapaksa and common opposition candidate […]
‘s Fonseka unable to vote in election
COLOMBO, January 26, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s main opposition candidate Sarath Fonseka said he was unable to vote in Tuesday’s presidential election because his name was not on the electoral register. A pro-government politician had wanted him thrown out of the contest when he filed his nomination because he wrongly claimed Fonseka was a […]
Sri Lanka votes in tense post-war election
January 26, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lankans voted in their first post-war presidential election on Tuesday amid claims of violence and voter intimidation after a bitter and highly personal campaign. The contest was a straight fight between the incumbent, Mahinda Rajapakse, and his former army chief Sarath Fonseka, and was seen as too close to […]
Fonseka ineligible for Sri Lanka president vote: government
January 26, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s government said Tuesday that it would challenge the legitimacy of leading opposition candidate Sarath Fonseka, who contested the country’s first post-war presidential election. “We are seeking a court order on the suitability of this candidate because he is not eligible to be declared as a candidate,” Foreign Minister […]
Obituary
January 26, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s former governor of the central bank Dr. H Karunatilake died on January 24, the bank said in a statement. He also served on the boards of research institutions, universities, financial institutions, cabinet sub-committees, government sub-commissions and state organizations. Karunatilake served as governor from 1988 to 1992, but has […]
Sri Lankan stocks up 1.04-pct on polling day
Jan 26, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lankan stocks closed one percent higher Tuesday with domestic investors chasing mid capitalized stocks brokers said, while the country voted for a new president and the bourse closed early. Ship builder Colombo Dockyard closed at 300.00 rupees, up 8.00, and activated carbon manufacturer Haycarb closed at 194.00 rupees, up […]
‘s ruling party figure defects
January 24, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s president suffered a major defection on Sunday when the matriarch of his party pledged support for the main opposition candidate ahead of Tuesday’s fiercely contested election. Kumaratunga’s family has strong support among SLFP activists and her endorsement is seen as a boost to Fonseka, who is backed by […]
‘s war allies turn enemies
January 24, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s election this week features two men who emerged victorious on the battlefield of a civil war, but have since become bitter political enemies. President Mahinda Rajapakse, a veteran streetfighter politician who entered parliament aged 24, is taking on his former army chief Sarath Fonseka, a political novice who […]