Category: Watch Tower

July 18, 2006 (AFP) – A Sri Lankan watchdog has halted its probes into the disappearance of thousands of people so that the government can avoid paying compensation, the Asian Human Rights Commission charged Tuesday.Sri Lanka’s Human Rights Commission (HRC), appointed and funded by the government, has shelved some 2,000 current probes into people who […]

July 18, 2006 (AFP) – A Sri Lankan watchdog has halted its probes into the disappearance of thousands of people so that the government can avoid paying compensation, the Asian Human Rights Commission charged Tuesday.Sri Lanka’s Human Rights Commission (HRC), appointed and funded by the government, has shelved some 2,000 current probes into people who […]

JAKARTA, July 17, 2006 (AFP) – Five people were killed when waves hit buildings on the south coast of Indonesia’s Java island Monday after a strong undersea quake triggered a tsunami alert, Indonesia’s president said. “Based on reports I have received, five people have been killed,” President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono told reporters.“The search is ongoing […]

July 7, 2006 (AFP) – A fresh attempt to hammer out a bipartisan approach to Sri Lanka’s drawn out Tamil separatist conflict ended abruptly with the defection of an opposition legislator, officials said Friday.President Mahinda Rajapakse met with United National Party opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe Thursday evening to agree on a common approach to the […]

July 5, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lanka will study devolution models across the world before developing a power-sharing mechanism with Tamil Tiger rebels to end separatist violence, a senior minister said Wednesday. Rajapakse’s ruling party received crucial support from political hardliners, but has since angered his backers with his offers of talks with the LTTE […]

DHAKA, July 3, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse has postponed a visit to Bangladesh next week due to a full schedule at home, the foreign ministry said here Monday.Rajapakse was to hold talks with Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia during the three-day visit from July 12.“The president has postponed the visit because […]

DHAKA, June 23, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse will visit Bangladesh next month, the foreign ministry said Friday. Rajapakse would hold talks with Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia during the three-day visit from 12 July, the ministry said. “The president’s visit will be significant in both bilateral and regional aspects. Both the […]

May 25, 2006 (AFP) – The Scandinavian truce monitoring mission in Sri Lanka wants to boost its numbers by at least 25 percent and is outfitting observers with flak jackets and helmets, the mission said Thursday.The request for additional personnel comes after the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) said the lives of its observers had […]

Apr.30 (AFP) – Up to 21,000 people have fled their homes following the latest spike in violence in Sri Lanka’s northeastern district of Trincomalee, the United Nations said Sunday.A bomb attack on the main market in the town of Trincomalee, 260 kilometres (160 miles) northeast of Colombo, on April 12 killed at least 17 people, […]