Category: Defense

Sept 23, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lankan and Indian navies ended a joint exercise off the island’s east coast Friday that included anti-piracy and interdiction operations, key concerns of both nations in protecting maritime commerce and coastlines. The High Commission of India said the ‘SLINEX 2011’ a joint exercise was held off the eastern port […]

LONDON, August 28, 2011 (AFP) – An independent inquiry into the death of an Iraqi prisoner in British custody in Iraq will clear the army of systematic torture but individual soldiers will be strongly criticised, a report said Sunday. The British probe has been investigating the death of hotel receptionist Baha Mousa, who died two […]

August 28, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s navy is setting up new bases along the island’s north western and eastern coasts to bridge security gaps that existed during the separatist Tamil Tiger insurgency, its commander said. The Navy said with strengthened presence and expanded operational capabilities it will be in a better position to guard […]

Aug 11, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka and the United States will co-host a regional military airlift exercise in the island from August 22 to 26 to strengthen disaster relief co-ordination between the US and Asia. Pacific Airlift Rally (PAR) is a biennial, military airlift symposium sponsored by US Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) for states […]

August 7, 2011 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s foreign ministry plans to protest to the United States after fighter jets intruded into the island’s airspace last week, the local Sunday Times newspaper said. The Sunday Times said the External Affairs Ministry planned to hand a protest note to the US embassy in Colombo. The squadron of […]

August 2, 2011 (AFP) – Human rights campaigners on Tuesday accused Sri Lanka of whitewashing military abuses in its official report on the island’s decades-long ethnic war, which ended in May 2009. A defence ministry report released on Monday admitted for the first time that civilians may have been killed during the war, though the […]

August 1, 2011 (AFP) – Sri Lanka on Monday released its own documentary to counter a programme by Britain’s Channel 4 that alleged war crimes by government troops in their final assault on Tamil Tiger rebels. The hour-long video, produced by the Defence Ministry and called “Lies Agreed Upon”, was shown to an invited audience […]

August 1, 2011 (AFP) – Sri Lanka on Monday admitted for the first time that civilians may have been killed during its military push against Tamil Tigers rebels in 2009 that has been dogged by allegations of war crimes. A defence ministry report entitled “Humanitarian operation factual analysis” said they followed a “zero civilian casualty […]

July 9, 2011 (AFP) – Sri Lanka has arrested a Briton for allegedly helping a British TV channel produce a documentary accusing Sri Lankan troops of war crimes, a media report said on Saturday. A Colombo magistrate on Friday agreed to a police request to detain the suspect, a British citizen of Sri Lankan origin, […]

June 17, 2011 (AFP) – Sri Lanka has offered its attack helicopters and transport aircraft for UN peacekeeping operations, two years after the end of the island’s civil war, an air force spokesman said Friday. The Sri Lankan air force was ready to deploy its Ukraine-manufactured Mi-24 helicopter gunships as well as Chinese-made Y-12 fixed-wing […]

June 4, 2011 (AFP) – The United States said Saturday it remained “deeply concerned” about alleged Sri Lankan war crimes as it distanced itself from a junior US military officer who questioned the credibility of the accusations against the island. The US government, along with other Western nations, rejected an invitation to attend a seminar […]

June 2, 2011 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s top military commander offered on Thursday to probe “specific allegations” of war crimes during the country’s fight against Tamil Tiger separatists that ended two years ago. Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya said no civilians were killed by his forces, but he was open to investigating alleged rights abuses in […]