Category:
Sri Lankan ex-president stripped of perks
COLOMBO, May 3, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court Thursday stripped former president Chandrika Kumaratunga of her official staff and 36 government cars, saying that she was not entitled to extravagant privileges.A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Sarath Silva held that it was also illegal for her to occupy a state bungalow refurbished […]
Britain freezes Sri Lanka aid, seeks Tiger talks
May 3, 2007 (AFP) – Britain has frozen aid to Sri Lanka in a bid to pressure the government to improve its human rights record, officials said Thursday. Prime Minister Tony Blair’s special peace envoy, Paul Murphy, is also planning a visit to Sri Lanka, a former British colony, in bid to help salvage the […]
Reconnecting
May 2, 2007 (AFP) – Dubai’s Emirates Airlines said on Wednesday it would resume day-time services to Sri Lanka which were suspended following Tamil rebel air raids near the island’s only international airport.Sri Lanka lost to Australia in Saturday’s final in Barbados.“Following a review of the situation in the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo, Emirates will […]
Killings mar Sri Lanka religious holiday
May 2, 2007 (AFP) – Two Tamil civilians and 13 Tamil Tiger rebels were killed in northern Sri Lanka as the country marked the holiest Buddhist anniversary, military officials said on Wednesday. Unidentified gunmen short dead the two civilians on Tuesday night, the start of the Wesak festival marking the birth, enlightenment and death of […]
Press freedom in Sri Lanka, world, in decline: watchdog
NEW YORK, May 1, 2007 (AFP) – Press freedom around the world deteriorated last year due to coups, attempts to stifle political opposition and regulate use of the Internet, a leading watchdog said in a report Tuesday.The survey gave 74 countries out of the 195 included the “free” rating and 63 the “not free” label. […]
Sri Lanka among countries where media freedom in decline
NEW YORK, May 1, 2007 (AFP) – Press freedom around the world deteriorated last year due to coups, attempts to stifle political opposition and regulate use of the Internet, a leading watchdog said in a report Tuesday.The survey gave 74 countries out of the 195 included the “free” rating and 63 the “not free” label.The […]
Australia plays down Sri Lanka Tiger funding role
SYDNEY, May 2, 2007 (AFP) – Australia Wednesday played down a suggestion that it was a major source of funds for Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tigers, after two local businessmen were charged with channelling money to the rebels.The two Melbourne men have been accused of sending cash raised under the guise of tsunami relief to the […]
Third Dimension
May 01, 2007 (LBO) – Chamath Champika Jayalath was watching the Sri Lanka-Australia Cricket World Cup final shortly after 1.00 am Sunday when suddenly power supply went off. Waiting for power to come back, Jayalath was startled by the sound of explosions and heavy gunfire. Rushing out, he saw tracer bullets streaming into the night […]
Aviation Hub
May 01, 2007 (LBO) – A trimming of services to Sri Lanka by major international carriers is undermining Colombo’s aspirations to be a regional aviation hub, in addition to hitting the island’s tourist industry. Sri Lanka now has to buy expensive defensive equipment at a cost that is totally disproportionate to the size of the […]
Large Loan
May 01, 2007 (LBO) – Bank of Ceylon said it had completed Sri Lanka’s largest international syndicated loan when it raised 210 million dollars in a 3-year facility arranged by HSBC. “The success of this loan syndication epitomises the resourcefulness of the global giant HSBC in being able to draw on their international expertise and […]
Two suspected Tamil Tigers arrested in Australia
MELBOURNE, May 1, 2007 (AFP) – Two suspected members of Sri Lanka’s separatist Tamil Tiger rebel group were Tuesday arrested in Australia and charged with funnelling money to a terrorist organisation, police said.The Tamil Tigers have waged a 35-year battle for independence that has claimed more than 60,000 lives in Sri Lanka. The men, 32 […]
Flying Tigers hold Sri Lanka in a thrall
May 1, 2007 (AFP) – The new capability of the Tamil Tigers to carry out airborne attacks has not only made them a rarity among the world’s guerrilla outfits but has also badly shaken an entire country. Sri Lanka’s defence ministry has acknowledged that the Tigers may be operating at least five light aircraft, used […]