Category: Politics
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UNITED NATIONS, April 30, 2008 (AFP) – India, the Philippines, Mexico and Colombia — all democracies — were cited Wednesday among 13 countries with the poorest records of prosecuting murders of journalists, in a list released by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). The CPJ noted that while Iraq, Sierra Leone and Somalia, all four […]
Sri Lankan police arrest UN aid worker for carrying pistol
April 30, 2008 (AFP) – Sri Lanka Wednesday arrested a local staff member attached to a United Nation organisation for carrying a pistol with him, the defence ministry said. Thiagaraja Prabhakaran, working with the World Food Programme office in the northern district of Kilinochchi, was held while he was being searched at a roadblock in […]
Sri Lanka mine kills two police commandos: military
May 1, 2008 (AFP) – Suspected Tamil Tiger rebels on Thursday set off a roadside mine in northern Sri Lanka, killing two police commandos, the defence ministry said. The Claymore mine, packed with steel balls, exploded in Kebethigollewa as troops were clearing the road for mines, the military said, adding that troops fired at fleeing […]
Three arrested in Britain over Tamil Tiger probe: police
April 29, 2008 (AFP) – Three men were arrested in London and Wales Tuesday as part of a long-term police investigation into the Tamil Tigers guerrillas in Sri Lanka, Scotland Yard said.The trio were arrested in dawn raids at homes and business addresses in Newtown, mid-Wales; Mitcham, southwest London; and in the county of Surrey, […]
Iranian president touch down in Pakistan before Sri Lanka vist
RAWALPINDI, Pakistan, April 28, 2008 (AFP) – Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrived Monday in Pakistan for a brief visit to meet the country’s new government and his Pakistani counterpart Pervez Musharraf.Ahmadinejad’s plane touched down at Chaklala Airbase in Rawalpindi, a garrison city adjoining Islamabad, where an air force honour guard greeted him on the tarmac, […]
Sri Lanka bomb defused at bus station: police
April 28, 2008 (AFP) – A powerful bomb was found and defused at a crowded bus station in northwestern Sri Lanka early Monday, minutes before the device had been set to go off, police said. The parcel bomb equipped with a timing device was discovered in Galgamuwa, some 100 kilometres (62 miles) north of the […]
Sri Lankans pray for miracles as civilians pay high price
KAHAPOLA, Sri Lanka, April 27, 2008 (AFP) – With both hands clasped, Pat Amarasinghe prays before a Buddha statue seeking divine help for the impossible — to bring back her son, Ishara, who died in a bus blast in Sri Lanka. Ishara and his fiancee, Geethika, both 24, were among 26 people killed when suspected […]
Tamil Tiger aircraft bomb Sri Lanka military targets
April 27, 2008 (AFP) – Tiger rebels using light aircraft bombed military targets in northeastern Sri Lanka early Sunday as security forces launched a fresh ground offensive after a deadly bus bombing, officials said. . The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) hit two military installations in the Weli Oya region, where security forces launched […]
Sri Lanka Tigers launch air strike on military targets: security sources
April 27, 2008 (AFP) – Tamil Tiger rebels deployed light aircraft to bomb military targets in northeastern Sri Lanka early Sunday causing no fatalities, but striking a psychological blow, security sources said. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) flew two planes to hit two military bases in the Weli Oya region, where security forces […]
Sri Lanka fears more bombings as bus toll hits 26
April 26, 2008 (AFP) – The death toll from a bus blast outside Colombo rose to 26 on Saturday as Sri Lanka warned of more indiscriminate attacks against civilians while security forces remained locked in combat against Tamil rebels.President Mahinda Rajapakse said Friday’s blast was the work of the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam […]
Sri Lanka fears more civilian attacks, launches new offensive
April 26, 2008 (AFP) – Sri Lanka on Saturday warned of more indiscriminate attacks against civilians as troops launched a new offensive against Tamil separatists a day after a bus bombing killed 26 people.President Mahinda Rajapakse said Friday’s bus bomb attack was the work of the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) guerrillas who […]
Sri Lanka army ousts Tamil Tigers from Catholic shrine area
April 25, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s army has taken control of the area around a church revered by Catholics in the northwest after a long drawn out campaign to drive out the Tamil Tigers, the military said Friday. Troops were now digging in to secure their positions in the Madhu church area, in the […]