Category: Politics
Sri Lanka heavy fighting kills 52 ahead of South Asian summit
August 2, 2008 (AFP) – Heavy fighting broke out in northern Sri Lanka on the eve of a South Asian summit in the capital, leaving at least 14 government soldiers and 38 rebels killed, a military official said Saturday. The rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) offered stiff resistance to a military advance in […]
Sri Lanka, Pakistan defence deal proposed
August 1, 2008 (AFP) – Pakistan, a key supplier of small arms to Sri Lanka, has proposed a defence pact to boost military cooperation between the two countries, Pakistani officials said Friday.Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi made the offer to his Sri Lankan counterpart Rohitha Bogollegama on the sidelines of a South Asian meeting […]
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrives in Sri Lanka
Aug 1, 2008 (LBO) – Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh landed in Sri Lanka to attend the 15th Summit meeting of the South Asian Association of Regional Co-operation to be held in Colombo this weekend. The city has been under tight security pending the arrival of regional leaders. Prime minister Singh arrived in the island […]
Regional rivals to meet in Sri Lanka as Indo-Pak peace process hits bad times
July 29, 2008 (AFP) – The leaders of South Asian rivals India and Pakistan are to meet in Sri Lanka this week for their highest-level talks in 15 months and to see if they can hold together their embattled peace process. Relations between New Delhi and Islamabad, who have fought three wars since partition in […]
Dozens dead in heavy fighting across Sri Lanka: govt
July 26, 2008 (AFP) – At least 66 Tamil Tiger rebels and eight government soldiers have died in the latest fighting in northern Sri Lanka, the island’s defence ministry said Saturday. The fighting on Friday was centred around Jaffna, Mannar, Vavuniya and the Weli Oya regions, the ministry said.There was no immediate comment on the […]
” as Sri Lanka hosts South Asian forum
July 27, 2008 (AFP) – Sri Lanka is ramping up security in its already tightly-guarded capital to unprecedented levels as it prepares to host regional leaders for a major summit amid an escalating war on the Tamil Tigers. India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will bring thousands of his own security personnel, helicopters and bullet-proof cars, […]
Sri Lanka cracks down on stray dogs ahead of South Asian meet
July 27, 2008 (AFP) – Sri Lanka is rounding up dozens of stray dogs ahead of a major South Asian summit, which will also see the island’s largest deployment of police dogs to sniff out explosives, officials said Sunday.The Colombo Municipal Council said dozens of strays over the weekend had been captured near the Bandaranaike […]
Sri Lanka fighting kills scores of rebels: military
July 25, 2008 (AFP) – Heavy ground battles across Sri Lanka’s north claimed the lives of 59 Tamil Tiger rebels and two soldiers, the defence ministry said Friday.Fresh fighting broke out on Thursday and Friday in the northeastern district of Mullaittivu as troops moved deeper into rebel-held areas, the ministry said. There was no immediate […]
Sri Lanka marks 25 years since deadly riots
July 24, 2008 (AFP) – Sri Lanka will on Friday mark a quarter of a century since the country’s worst ethnic riots claimed scores of lives, but 25 years on there is little prospect of peace on the island.In July 1983, the country — where ongoing fighting in a civil war between Tamil rebels and […]
Sri Lankan military says 29 killed in fresh fighting
July 24, 2008 (AFP) – At least 25 Tamil Tiger rebels and four soldiers have been killed in fighting and air strikes across Sri Lanka’s northern region, the defence ministry said Thursday. The ministry said the clashes between troops and members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) happened Wednesday and brought the number […]
Sri Lanka Tigers declare ceasefire for S. Asia summit
July 22, 2008 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s separatist Tamil Tiger rebels declared Tuesday a ceasefire with the military during a 10-day meeting of South Asian leaders starting here this week.There was no immediate comment from Colombo on the ceasefire. Sri Lanka’s army chief said last week that his forces had wiped out two-thirds of the […]
Sri Lanka military says 5,000 rebels killed this year
July 20, 2008 (AFP) – More than 5,000 Tamil Tiger rebels have been killed by Sri Lanka’s military since the beginning of the year, the defence ministry said Sunday.The ministry said its latest figures showed 5,036 rebels and 446 of its own soldiers had died in fighting between the start of the year and Friday […]