Category: Politics

LUXEMBOURG, April 23, 2007 (AFP) – EU foreign ministers agreed on Monday to tell groups and individuals on its terror register why they are listed.The EU has already written to OMPI, recalling “the organisation’s past, notably the attacks that it has been responsible for”, an EU diplomat said. The decision was made in the wake […]

COLOMBO, April 22, 2007 (AFP) – Tamil Tiger rebels and government forces fought two gunbattles in Sri Lanka’s restive north and east leaving at least six rebels killed, the defence ministry said Sunday.Gunmen of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) clashed with troops at Vavuniya, 260 kilometres (160 miles) north of Colombo, on Saturday […]

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 […]

COLOMBO, April 22, 2007 (AFP) – An independent autopsy found no signs of torture on a Maldives dissident who died shortly after being released from custody, officials here said Sunday.The body of Hussein Salah was flown to Sri Lanka on Friday for a medical examination following allegations that he had been killed while in police […]

COLOMBO, April 20, 2007 (AFP) – Unidentified gunmen shot dead a Tamil journalist in northern Sri Lanka in the latest in a string of attacks against media personnel, a rights group said Friday.Subash Chandraboas, 32, editor of the Tamil monthly Nilam, was gunned down late Monday at his residence in Vavuniya, 260 kilometres (162 miles) […]

April 19, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s top defence official summoned Britain’s envoy Thursday after he expressed solidarity with an editor facing death threats, diplomats said.Although there is no formal censorship imposed, Sri Lankan authorities prevent journalists from travelling to areas held by the rebels, who are waging a separatist conflict that has killed more […]

April 18, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lankan authorities have issued a thinly veiled death threat against a newspaper editor for reporting on military excesses and human rights abuses, a media rights group said Wednesday.Although there is no formal censorship imposed, Sri Lankan authorities prevent journalists from travelling to areas held by rebels, who are waging […]

April 18, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lanka warned Wednesday it may expel foreign diplomats who meddle in the island’s internal affairs and said at least one unnamed envoy was being investigated. The threat comes amid growing international criticism of Sri Lanka’s human rights record and Colombo’s resistance to suggestions that United Nations monitors should be […]

COLOMBO, April 18, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lankan authorities have issued a death threat against a newspaper editor for reporting on military excesses and human rights abuses, journalists and a media rights group said Wednesday. The editor of Colombo’s Daily Mirror, Champika Liyanaarachchi, said defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse, the younger brother of President Mahinda Rajapakse, […]

COLOMBO, April 17, 2007 (AFP) – Suspected Tamil Tiger rebels gunned down four people in Sri Lanka’s north and eastern regions as violence continued during traditional New Year celebrations, the military said Tuesday.The conflict has claimed more than 60,000 lives since 1972.Two men were shot dead early Tuesday in Batticaloa district, 300 kilometres (190 miles) […]

April 15, 2007 (AFP) – Suspected Tamil Tiger rebels shot dead a member of a breakaway group in eastern Sri Lanka as the country marked the start of the traditional New Year, the defence ministry said Sunday.The victim, identified as a member of a Tamil faction known as the “Karuna Group” believed allied with government […]

by Stefan Smith COLOMBO, April 15, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s peace process is in tatters with both the government and Tamil Tigers once again pushing for a military solution, according to diplomats close to efforts to end the conflict. “This is not something that can be tackled only through military means,” Boteju said.“There must […]