Category: Politics

Feb 23, 2008 (AFP) – A parcel bomb exploded on a bus in a Colombo suburb on Saturday, wounding at least 17 people in the latest in a string of violent attacks, the defence ministry said.But casualties would have been far greater if an alert passenger had not spotted the booby-trapped package and shouted at […]

Feb 22, 2008 (AFP) – Sri Lankan war planes stepped up bombing raids inside Tamil Tiger-controlled territory Friday, a day after intense ground battles left at least 95 people dead, the defence ministry said. Jet fighters hit a key base of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the morning after air strikes against […]

Feb 21, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s ruling party appointed a new member in place of a rebel member who died in a car crash, strengthening its clout in the legislature by one. Reggie Ranatunga, a provincial governor until his appointment, would represent the Gampaha district, north of Colombo. Updated/recast Ranatunga, the father of Sri […]

Feb 21, 2008 (AFP) – At least 13 Tamil Tiger rebels and two government soldiers were killed in an intense battle for a bunker line in northern Sri Lanka, the defence ministry said Thursday.Government forces destroyed five bunkers held by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) during fighting on Wednesday afternoon, the defence ministry […]

Feb 21, 2008 (AFP) – At least 92 Tamil Tiger rebels and three government soldiers died in intense battles for a bunker line in northern Sri Lanka, the defence ministry said Thursday. Government forces destroyed five bunkers held by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) during fighting on Wednesday afternoon, a ministry statement said. […]

Feb 20, 2008 (AFP) – Heavy fighting erupted in northern Sri Lanka Wednesday with troops and Tamil Tiger rebels trading artillery fire that left scores of combatants dead or wounded, the island’s defence ministry said.The rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) launched a major attack against military positions in the district of Mannar and […]

Feb 20, 2008 (AFP) – Suspected Tamil Tiger separatists on Wednesday shot dead three government soldiers in Sri Lanka’s restive south, the military said. Gunmen from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) fired at troops guarding a road in Buttala, an area that has recently experienced several attacks, military spokesman Udaya Nanayakkara said. “Three […]

COLOMBO, Feb 17, 2008 (AFP) – Sri Lanka said Sunday that Kosovo’s declaration of independence from Serbia could set an “unmanageable precedent” and threaten world peace. The Sri Lankan government, which is battling separatist Tamil Tiger rebels, reacted swiftly against Kosovo’s independence, which it said was a violation of the United Nations charter. “This action […]

Feb 18, 2008 (AFP) – Heavy fighting raged in northern Sri Lanka on Monday, the defence ministry said, reporting that 49 Tamil Tiger rebels and two soldiers were killed in weekend battles. Fresh clashes erupted along the frontlines in the north of the country on Monday, the ministry said, after a surge of violence on […]

Feb 18, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lankan journalists who expose government corruption are being subject to harassment and intimidation, the Free Media Movement said. The latest incident was an attempt to intimidate Susil Kedelpitiya, the news director of the popular Sinhala TV channel Sirasa, it said in a statement. Kedelpitiya has complained to police that […]

Feb 17, 2008 (AFP) – Sri Lankan forces killed at least 20 Tamil Tiger guerrillas in clashes in the north of the island at the weekend, defence officials said Sunday.Government forces backed by war planes attacked Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) along the front lines in the north on Saturday, an official said. He […]

Feb 16, 2008 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s airforce kept up air strikes on suspected Tamil Tiger rebel targets in the island’s north for the third day in a row on Saturday, the defence ministry said.It did not give details of casualties or damage but said a rebel coordination centre in Mannar on the northwest coast […]