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Sri Lanka Tigers set to return to guerrilla warfare
January 26, 2009 (AFP) – After a series of battlefield defeats, Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tiger rebels have lost their conventional fighting capability, but analysts say they will fight on using guerrilla tactics.Once known as a ruthlessly efficient separatist group, the Tamil Tigers over three decades established a de facto mini-state which in recent weeks has […]
Sri Lankan Tigers flee to jungle as troops take final bastion
January 26, 2009 (AFP) – Sri Lankan government troops were Monday pushing into the last pockets of jungle still held by Tamil Tigers after the capture of the rebels’ last urban stronghold and military headquarters.Soldiers on Sunday overran Mullaittivu, a northeastern coastal lagoon town that was the Tigers’ main base for more than a decade, […]
‘s Murali set for record double in India series
DAMBULLA, January 26, 2009 (AFP) – Ace Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan is poised to complete a record bowling double during the one-day series against India starting on Wednesday. The off-spinner is just three wickets short of surpassing former Pakistani paceman Wasim Akram’s world record of 502 one-day scalps, having grabbed 500 in 324 matches […]
Sri Lanka troops overrun last Tiger town: army chief
January 25, 2009 (AFP) – Sri Lankan troops on Sunday overran the last town controlled by Tamil rebels, army chief Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka said, striking a significant blow in Asia’s longest-running ethnic conflict. “We have completely captured Mullaittivu,” the army chief said in a televised address to the nation. The fall of Mullaittivu is […]
Sri Lanka troops enter final Tiger town: govt
January 25, 2009 (AFP) – Sri Lankan troops on Sunday fought their way into Mullaittivu, the last town held by Tamil Tiger rebels who are holed up in the northeast of the island, a government spokesman said. “For the last time, I am telling the LTTE to lay down arms and surrender,” he said in […]
Sri Lankan Airlines in discounted internet sales strategy
Jan 25, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lankan Airlines has launched a discounted online ticket sales program where cut price tickets can be bought by booking ahead, the company said, tapping the price-sensitive end of the market. “We are giving these incredible discounts to almost all our destinations in Europe, the Middle East, South Asia, and […]
‘s Jayawardene eyes India challenge after Pakistan rout
LAHORE, January 24, 2009 (AFP) – Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene said his team were progressing well and he was looking forward to facing India after thumping Pakistan Saturday to win the one-day series 2-1.Jayawardene’s team beat the home side by a whopping 234 runs in the third and final day-night international — the heaviest […]
‘s other war keeps media on the run
January 25, 2009 (AFP) – Sri Lanka is in the grip of its biggest military offensive against Tamil Tiger rebels, but the country’s journalists are also facing an unprecedented battle of their own. Unidentified attackers stabbed weekly newspaper editor Upali Tennakoon and smashed his car as he drove to work Friday in the latest in […]
Indian PM undergoes heart bypass surgery
NEW DELHI, January 24, 2009 (AFP) – India’s 76-year-old Prime Minister Manmohan Singh underwent heart bypass surgery Saturday, raising questions about his political future with general elections looming.Doctors decided to perform the surgery, which was due to take up to eight hours, after Singh complained of chest pains earlier in the week. The procedure began […]
Sri Lankan troops seize Tiger camps: military
January 24, 2009 (AFP) – Sri Lankan security forces captured two Tamil Tiger guerrilla camps after heavy fighting in the island’s northeast, the military said Saturday.Government forces have been steadily advancing into the remaining territory held by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the coastal district of Mullaittivu. “Sri Lanka army Task Force […]
Sri Lanka LNG power plant to Australian consultancy
Jan 24, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has given tax concessions to an Australian consultancy to develop a 488 MegaWatt liquefied natural gas (LNG) fired power plant for the state-run electricity grid, the island’s investment promotion agency said. There was no mention whether a minimum volume has been guaranteed or whether a formal power purchase […]
Sri Lanka media freedoms under threat: US
January 24, 2009 (AFP) – Continuing attacks against journalists in Sri Lanka show the deteriorating conditions media workers face in the country, a statement released by the US embassy here said Saturday.In the statement, US State Department acting spokesman Robert A. Wood said the United States was appalled by ongoing physical attacks and threats against […]