Category: Defense

April 26, 2009 (AFP) – The Sri Lanka government rejected a ceasefire declared by Tamil Tiger rebels on Sunday, defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse said, instead demanding that the cornered guerrillas surrender. Rajapakse, who leads the government’s military campaign against the Tigers, said there was no need for a ceasefire as the military was about to […]

April 26, 2009 (AFP) – The Sri Lanka government rejected a ceasefire declared by Tamil Tiger rebels on Sunday, defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse said, instead demanding that the cornered guerrillas surrender. “The ceasefire is purely for humanitarian purposes and the duration will depend on the response of the Sri Lankan government,” Puleethevan told AFP by […]

WASHINGTON, April 25, 2009 (AFP) – The White House on Friday urged an immediate ceasefire in Sri Lanka and voiced deep concerns over alleged violations of international humanitarian law.It was the first statement by President Barack Obama’s White House on Sri Lanka as concerns grow for the fate of thousands of people trapped in a […]

GENEVA, April 24, 2009 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva on Friday rejected calls for a humanitarian pause in the Tamil conflict, saying temporary ceasefires did not work. “The largest number of civilians who have come out (of the conflict zone) came out not during the humanitarian pause, not as […]

April 25, 2009 (AFP) – The UN’s humanitarian chief was due in Sri Lanka Saturday as international concern over civilians trapped in the island’s war zone fuelled a White House call for an immediate ceasefire.John Holmes’ three-day mission will focus on pushing the government to facilitate humanitarian missions in and around the conflict zone and […]

April 25, 2009 (AFP) – The flood of wounded civilians from the conflict in Sri Lanka is overwhelming doctors and nurses in hospitals near the war zone who said Saturday people risk dying from lack of proper attention. A British surgeon working for Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), Paul McMasters, said his team in the state-run […]

KILINOCHCHI, April 24, 2009 (AFP) – The leader of Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tigers is trapped in a small strip of coastal jungle in the northeast and leading his last remaining fighters, a top army commander said Friday.Journalists flown to Kilinochchi were shown a large haul of mortars and small arms said to have been captured […]

April 24, 2009 (AFP) – A Sri Lankan court on Friday released a Tamil newspaper editor who had been detained over alleged links to Tamil Tiger air attacks in the capital, an official said.Nadesapillai Vidyatharan, who edits the Sudar Oli daily, was detained in February under anti-terrorism laws, but police told the Colombo Fort Magistrate […]

April 23, 2009 (AFP) – Tamil Tiger rebels encircled in a tiny strip of land by Sri Lankan government troops are continuing to put up stiff resistance despite calls for their surrender, the military said Thursday. The army said the guerrillas controlled just 10-12 square kilometres (around four square miles) of territory on the northeast […]

BRUSSELS, April 23, 2009 (AFP) – UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon ordered Thursday the immediate despatch of a humanitarian team to northern Sri Lanka, where thousands of civilians are trapped by fighting between troops and rebels.“I intend to immediately despatch a UN humanitiarian team to the no-fire zone,” he told reporters in Brussels, after a […]

UNITED NATIONS, April 22, 2009 (AFP) – Tamil Tiger rebels in Sri Lanka must surrender and allow civilians trapped in the battle zone to leave, the UN Security Council president said Wednesday.“We demand that the LTTE immediately lay down arms, renounce terrorism, allow a UN-assisted evacuation of the remaining civilians in the conflict area, and […]

OTTAWA, April 21, 2009 (AFP) – Up to 30,000 Tamil protestors stepped up pressure on the Canadian government on Tuesday, clogging the capital for a 15th day in a row to demand it try to broker a ceasefire in Sri Lanka.Screaming “no more genocide,” beating drums heard throughout downtown, waving fists in the air and […]