Category: Politics

September 7, 2008 (AFP) – Sri Lankan war planes and helicopter gunships pounded suspected Tamil Tiger bases in northern Sri Lanka on Sunday, the defence ministry said. Both sides admitted heavy losses in ground battles last week. Fighter jets attacked a training camp of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) at Mankulam, just south […]

September 7, 2008 (AFP) – Sri Lankan troops have moved closer to dismantling the Tamil Tigers’ de facto state after months of heavy clashes with the rebels, but the battles ahead could be even bloodier, officials and analysts say.Monsoon rains expected to intensify in the coming weeks could bog down tanks and make artillery less […]

September 6, 2008 (AFP) – At least 24 Tamil Tigers were killed in fresh fighting as Sri Lankan troops struggled to dismantle the guerrillas’ mini-state in the island’s embattled north, the government said Saturday.The rebels were killed Friday in three separate battle areas, the defence ministry said in a statement, adding that one government trooper […]

September 4, 2008 (AFP) – Government forces and Tamil separatists were locked in heavy combat in northern Sri Lanka with at least 26 rebels killed in fresh fighting, the defence ministry said Thursday. To receive instant alerts from LBO on your Dialog mobile type ‘lbo’ and send to 678 Six soldiers were wounded and another […]

September 2, 2008 (AFP) – Sri Lankan forces have captured the key town and Tamil Tiger bastion of Mallavi in the north of the island following heavy fighting that killed 37 people, the defence ministry said Tuesday. To receive instant alerts from LBO on your Dialog mobile type ‘lbo’ and send to 678 Security forces […]

September 2, 2008 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s military on Tuesday ordered the jailing of 305 army deserters who failed to return to their units during an amnesty period, the defence ministry said.The men were sentenced to jail terms ranging from three months to one year following court martial proceedings, the ministry said. “Those deserters have […]

August 30, 2008 (AFP) – A bomb went off in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo on Saturday, wounding at least 30 people, police and hospital sources said. A package left near a fruit vendor exploded in Pettah, the main commercial hub of the capital, police said, adding that the blast was also near the main […]

August 30, 2008 (AFP) – A powerful bomb ripped through a busy commercial area of Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo on Saturday, wounding 45 people, police and doctors said.The bombing in Colombo’s Pettah area came a day after Tiger rebels accused government forces of setting off a roadside bomb and killing two civilians inside guerrilla-held territory. […]

August 28, 2008 (AFP) – Sri Lanka on Thursday appealed to minority ethnic Tamil civilians living in the line of fire in rebel-held towns to move to areas under government control, saying it would guarantee them safe passage. To receive instant alerts from LBO on your Dialog mobile type ‘lbo’ and send to 678 Defence […]

Aug 27, 2008 (LBO) – A legal co-operation deal signed by south Asian leaders at a summit in Sri Lanka earlier this month will help combat terrorist financing and cross-border crime, the foreign affairs ministry said Wednesday. To receive instant alerts from LBO on your Dialog mobile type ‘act (space) lbo’ and send to 678 […]

Aug 26, 2008 (LBO) – At least two explosions ripped through the port town of Trincomalee in Eastern Sri Lanka, which is home to a strategically important naval base Tuesday night, residents and the military said. “There had been an explosion in Trincomalee town and we are checking on it,” military spokesman Udaya Nanayakkara said. […]