Author: Mel Gunasekera
Investors jittery as Sri Lanka fighting escalates
May 30, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s investors, international donors and lenders are watching with alarm as government fighting against Tamil Tiger rebels escalates and key economic targets come under attack, analysts say.There appears little space to manoeuvre unless the separatist conflict subsides.Roadside blasts Monday and last Thursday around Colombo killed 11 people and wounded […]
‘s promise to stem bloodshed broken: US
COLOMBO, May 10, 2007 (AFP) – The United States Thursday accused Sri Lanka of going back on promises to protect human rights and said the situation in the embattled island had “deteriorated” in the past year.Visiting US diplomat Richard Boucher said there was more bloodshed and that the government of President Mahinda Rajapakse had failed […]
Sri Lankans abort party amid air attacks
April 29, 2007 (AFP) – The Sri Lankan capital was enveloped in “total panic” early Sunday as Tamil Tiger air attacks forced World Cup cricket fans to flee their parties for safety.Fans dressed in the Sri Lankan team T-shirts and carrying the national flag had earlier braved the rain to gather in their hundreds at […]
‘s multi-ethnic, multi-religious unity yet to inspire divided nation
April 22, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lankans treat cricket as a religion, but the sport has failed to heal wounds of this deeply divided nation despite its ethnically-mixed World Cup squad displaying strong unity. “Any hope that cricket will unite (all commmunities) is a fallacy.” The success of Sri Lanka’s multi-ethnic team at the ongoing […]
Sri Lanka scrambles to boost confidence after air raid
March 27, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lankan authorities are struggling to restore investor confidence a day after Tamil Tiger rebels launched an audacious air attack that stunned the defence establishment, officials said. The two sides agreed to a Norwegian-arranged truce in 2002, but successive talks broke down. Tamil Tiger rebels carried out their first air […]
‘s balance sheet
March 26, 2007 (AFP) – The first ever air attack by Tamil Tiger rebels is a psychological setback to Sri Lanka’s military but could cause an even bigger blow to the island’s economy, analysts said Monday.In the daring strike, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) used two light fixed-wing aircraft against the Katunayake airbase, […]
‘s lingerie hopes
BIYAGAMA, Feb 25, 2007 (AFP) – For some engineers in this Sri Lankan industrial town, making women happy is their main job — they design sexy bras which are comfortable too. Ranil Vitarana is one of hundreds of Sri Lankans developing exotic undergarments for top international brands including Victoria’s Secret, Marks and Spencer and Triumph […]
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 […]
‘s business confidence
Feb 13, 2007 (AFP) – High taxes and rigid labour laws are weighing on business confidence in troubled Sri Lanka, which is one of the worst places to do business in South Asia, a new World Bank study says. An upsurge in violence over the past year alone has killed more than 4,000 people, leaving […]
Singapore looks for defining new brand
SINGAPORE, Sept 21, (LBO) – The Singapore government is trying to come up with a single brand identity for the city state, but authorities may find the task a bit challenging to put a myriad of perceptions into one bag. Some of Singapore’s familiar icons now include Singapore Airlines, Changi Airport, Raffles Hotel and Minister […]
Sri Lanka to lead South Asian initiative to study impact of oil prices
SINGAPORE, September 20, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka is leading a South Asia initiative to study the impact of oil prices and its effects on macro economic policies, Bangladesh’s Central Bank governor said. Finance misters of the South Asian Association for Regional Corporation (SAARC) – an eight member regional grouping – who met on the […]
End bloodshed to restore Sri Lanka business confidence: IMF-WBank
SINGAPORE, Sept 20, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lanka has shown economic resilience but needs to end violence to restore much-needed business confidence, the World Bank and IMF said Wednesday. The South Asian nation forecasts a blistering 8.0 percent growth this year, the biggest in nearly three decades, despite soaring violence that has claimed more than […]