Author: lbostgadmin
War drums beat in Sri Lanka but truce talks still target: analysts
Apr. 26 (AFP) – Air strikes, mortar attacks, a suicide bombing in the heart of Colombo — while it may seem Tamil Tiger rebels and Sri Lanka’s government are beating war drums, they are in fact preparing to return to truce talks, some analysts said Wednesday. The fact that the government has recommitted itself to […]
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OSLO, Apr.26 (AFP) – The main mediator in the Sri Lankan conflict, Erik Solheim of Norway, on Wednesday condemned the flare-up of violence on the war-torn island but said he was optimistic that it would end shortly.Government forces have carried out coordinated air, sea and land attacks against rebel positions in the restive northeast since […]
Norway says truce on as Sri Lanka steps up air strikes
Apr. 26 (AFP) – Peace broker Norway expressed hope Wednesday that Sri Lanka will retreat from the brink of full-scale war even as 18 more people were killed in escalated air strikes aimed at avenging rebel attacks and thousands of Tamil villagers were fleeing for their lives. Top peace envoy Erik Solheim said Oslo was […]
Air ticket prices rising on back of oil price spike
PARIS, April 27, 2006 (AFP) – Air France-KLM, Singapore Airlines and a string of other carriers are increasing the fuel surcharge element in their long-haul ticket prices, again passing on to passengers the rising cost of aviation fuel.The airlines justify the price hikes by the recent surge in crude prices, sparked by fears that the […]
Sri Lanka Q1 2006 tea exports up 6% on 2005
Apr. 26 (LBO) – Sri Lanka shipped 75.0 million kilos of tea in March, over 70.3 million kilos in 2005, a commodity brokering house said Wednesday.Revenues from tea exports for March topped 19.2 million rupees, over 21.2 million rupees, reported in 2005, Asia Siyaka Commodity Brokers said. Majority of the export earnings came from bulk tea, […]
Attacks unlikely to hurt tourism -Govt Official
Apr. 26 (Dow Jones)–Attacks by Sri Lanka’s military on Tamil Tiger rebel bases in the northeast since late Tuesday are unlikely to hurt the country’s tourism industry, the secretary to the Ministry of Tourism said Wednesday.“These are targeted attacks, so we don’t expect it to affect tourist arrivals in anyway. The government is still committed […]
Waiting Game
Apr. 26 (Dow Jones)–A suicide attack in the Sri Lankan capital and airstrikes in the east of the country aren’t worrying foreign investors, and the government is on track to attract a record $1 billion worth of foreign direct investments this year, the chairman of the government’s investment arm said Wednesday. “Negotiations on some big […]
Close Circuit
Apr. 26 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has started a financial intelligence unit to track foreign exchange dealings in excess of 5,000 dollars, treasury secretary P B Jayasundara said Wednesday. Anti-money laundering activities, comes under the supervision of the country’s finance ministry. – Mel Gunasekera The move is part of the government’s drive to keep track […]
Tigers provoking backlash with killings: Sri Lanka
Apr. 24 (AFP) – Suspected Tamil Tiger rebels hacked to death a mother feeding her baby after gunning down six farmers in a killing spree designed to provoke a backlash, the defence ministry said Monday.Members of the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) snatched the infant and chopped the woman to pieces at Seeruwila […]
Rights group slams Sri Lanka for not saving Tamil civilians
Apr. 25 (AFP) – Sri Lankan security forces stood by as Sinhalese mobs murdered Tamils after a suspected Tamil Tiger bomb attack earlier this month at a busy market, a human rights watchdog charged Tuesday.The New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) said the Colombo government failed to respond to attacks by Sinhalese men armed with […]
More killings send tension soaring in Sri Lanka
Apr. 25 (AFP) – Tension gripped Sri Lanka’s north-eastern Trincomalee district Tuesday after an overnight killing of a hotel owner police say was designed to provoke inter-communal riots. The man was gunned down around midnight on the same day suspected Tamil Tiger rebels hacked to death a mother feeding her baby, police said. “The latest […]
Woman suicide bomber kills 10, wounds Sri Lanka army chief
Apr. 25 (AFP) – A Tamil Tiger suicide bomber pretending to be pregnant blew herself up Tuesday seriously wounding Sri Lanka’s army chief and killing 10 others, police and doctors said.More than 30 people were also injured by the blast inside the high security zone of Colombo’s main military base, police said. The attack on […]