Author: lbostgadmin
Refugees reach Tamil rebel capital after fleeing alleged massacre
KILINOCHCHI, Sri Lanka, May 21, 2006 (AFP) – Refugees who fled after an alleged military massacre on a northern Sri Lanka islet arrived at the inland Tamil rebel capital at the weekend, and brought their fishing boats with them.“We want to go to a fishing area,” he said. – by Ian Timberlake The 120 people […]
Top Tamil Tiger leader shot dead in Sri Lanka
May 22, 2006 (AFP) – A top Tamil Tiger field commander was shot dead in eastern Sri Lanka Sunday by an unidentified gunman, rebel and military sources said. The number two in the Tamil Tiger military wing and its chief intelligence operative in the eastern region — identified as Ramanan — was gunned down in […]
‘ names? Then you have too many
KUALA LUMPUR, May 21, 2006 (AFP) – A prominent Malaysian cleric has warned Muslims against repeatedly marrying and divorcing for fun after reports of a man who married 30 times and has scores of children and grand-children.Harussani Zakaria, a religious leader in northern Perak state, said in a report over the weekend it was sinful […]
Bangladeshi power minister removed amid protests over shortfall
DHAKA, May 21, 2006 (AFP) – The Bangladeshi prime minister Sunday removed the power minister amid growing protests over massive power shortages across the South Asian nation which faces a federal election by early 2007.Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, who heads a four-party coalition, removed Minister for Power Iqbal Hasan Mahmud and reassigned him as junior […]
‘s de facto front lines
May 20, 2006 (AFP) – Government forces and Tamil Tiger rebels traded artillery fire across a de facto front line in the island’s north Saturday, military officials said.There were no immediate reports of casualties on either side after a 30-minute exchange of fire at Muhamalai in the Jaffna peninsula, but the main entry and exit […]
French are rudest, most boring people on earth: British poll
LONDON, May 20, 2006 (AFP) – The French were voted the world’s most unfriendly nation by a landslide in a British poll published on Saturday. They were also voted the most boring and most ungenerous. A decisive 46 percent of the 6,000 people surveyed by travellers’ website Where Are You Now (WAYN) said the French […]
Clean Closet
May 20, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s securities watchdog is in the final stages of drawing up rules to make corporate governance mandatory among listed companies from January next year, a top official said Friday. The island’s quoted companies are famous for their cronyism in board rooms and lax corporate governance. The new rules, pushed […]
Continuing violence slowing down aid projects: World Bank
May 19, 2006 (LBO) – An upsurge in violence in the north east part of Sri Lanka could slow down progress post-conflict development projects, a top World Bank official said Friday. The bank, which lends around 80-100 million dollars to Sri Lanka each year, has a few medium-term projects in the north east. “We are […]
Sinking Further
May 17 (LBO) – Petroleum retailer Lanka IOC, Friday reported a 7.1 billion rupee loss for the year ended March 31, as the Sri Lankan government fail to settle its subsidy bills. A unit of the Fortune 500 Indian Oil Corp., LIOCs financial health has been deteriorating since total subsidy claims climbed up to 7.695 […]
EU ban on Sri Lanka rebels will only lead to war: rebel negotiator
COLOMBO, May 19, 2006 (AFP) – A European Union ban on Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tiger rebels will only lead to war in the country, the rebels’ top negotiator said in comments received Friday. The statement by Anton Balasingham came as Sri Lanka’s foreign minister visited Japan where he sought the help of donor nations to […]
EU agrees in principle to ban Sri Lankan rebels
COLOMBO, May 19, 2006 (AFP) – The European Union has agreed in principle to blacklist Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tiger rebels as a “terrorist” group, EU diplomats said Friday, in a move the rebels said would only lead to war in the country. US Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Camp […]
Norway fears isolation over role in Sri Lanka peace process
OSLO, May 19, 2006 (AFP) – The European Union’s decision to place the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on its list of terrorist organisations risks isolating Norway, which has played a key role in the nation’s peace process, chief negotiator Erik Solheim said on Friday. Norway, which is not an EU member, has mediated […]